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US envoy for Japan Rahm Emanuel takes the spotlight with snarky China tweets

US envoy for Japan Rahm Emanuel

U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel, accompanied by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken (not pictured), speaks at the U.S. Ambassador鈥檚 Residence in Tokyo, Japan Tuesday, April 18, 2023. Andrew Harnik/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo

WASHINGTON/TOKYO 鈥 When a Reuters reporter asked a U.S. State Department spokesperson this week about a sarcastic social media post by the U.S. ambassador to Japan concerning China鈥檚 missing defense minister, the reply was appropriately diplomatic.

The ambassador, Rahm Emanuel, has always spoken in 鈥渁 colorful manner,鈥 said Matthew Miller, restraining a smile, although he declined to say whether Emanuel鈥檚 comments had been cleared by the State Department.

Emanuel, a legendary Washington political fighter who has served three Democratic presidents, had written on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, that the recent disappearances of top Chinese officials resembled Agatha Christie鈥檚 best-selling crime novel 鈥淎nd Then There Were None,鈥 which follows the mysterious deaths of guests at a mansion in Britain.

鈥淔irst, Foreign Minister Qin Gang goes missing, then the Rocket Force commanders go missing, and now Defense Minister Li Shangfu hasn鈥檛 been seen in public for two weeks. Who鈥檚 going to win this unemployment race? China鈥檚 youth or Xi鈥檚 cabinet?,鈥 Emanuel wrote.

On Thursday, he speculated in another post that Li might have been detained. 鈥淢ight be getting crowded in there,鈥 he wrote.

Li has not been seen in public for more than two weeks. On Friday Reuters reported that the defense official, handpicked by Chinese President Xi Jinping, has been placed under investigation by Chinese authorities, according to 10 people familiar with the matter.

In July, Foreign Minister Qin Gang was replaced after not being seen in public for over a month. He had been appointed to the post only seven months previous.

Policy or opinion?

Though common on social media, pointed sarcasm is almost unheard of in the buttoned-down world of diplomacy, where ambassadors鈥 comments are carefully vetted and scrutinized for nuance.

So naturally, Emanuel鈥檚 posts have raised questions about whether they reflect the views of the administration of Joe Biden, who Emanuel has known for years, dating back to the Obama White House.

鈥淚 would guess that the Chinese government views Ambassador Emanuel鈥檚 remarks as authoritative and deliberate signaling. I doubt that鈥檚 the case,鈥 said Bonnie Glaser, a China expert at the German Marshall Fund of the United States.

A Chinese embassy spokesperson said Beijing noted Emanuel鈥檚 remarks. 鈥淲e hope the U.S. side can stop smearing China and do more things that are conducive to enhancing understanding, trust and cooperation between the two countries,鈥 she said.

A source familiar with Biden administration dynamics said Emanuel鈥檚 comments were likely not part of an agreed approach.

鈥淩ahm is not subject to the rules that other ambassadors and senior officials follow,鈥 the source said. 鈥淚 suspect that some of his public commentary makes the White House pretty uncomfortable, but his relationship with the President makes him effectively untouchable.鈥

鈥淭here may be some who view his tweets and commentary as a useful foil, but there is no deliberate strategy that I am aware of,鈥 the source said.

On Friday, the State Department did not have immediate comment on whether Emanuel鈥檚 tweets on Li reflected the knowledge and understanding of the U.S. government or whether they were his personal opinion. The U.S. embassy in Japan declined to comment.

Anti-China US ambassador

Emanuel, 63, previously served as an aide to former President Bill Clinton and as former President Barack Obama鈥檚 White House chief of staff, when he was known as an effective enforcer, nicknamed 鈥淩ahmbo.鈥

In 2010, he successfully ran for mayor of Chicago but decided not to seek re-election in 2019 following controversy over his decision not to release footage of the shooting of a Black teen, Laquan McDonald.

The combative Democrat is known for his use of colorful and sometimes profane language. At the start of his time at the Obama White House, he had a name plate on his desk given to him by his brothers that read: 鈥淭he Undersecretary for Go Fuck Yourself.鈥

In Japan, his longstanding West Wing ties are seen as an advantage by the government of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, which is eager to tighten bonds with Washington, a senior Japanese official told Reuters.

Within China, Emanuel has a reputation as an anti-China ambassador, said Yun Sun, director of the China Program at the Stimson Center, adding that Beijing believes his position as ambassador to Japan should not afford him a role on relations between the U.S. and China, which have been tense in recent years.

Emanuel has kept close ties with Biden, hosting him privately at the ambassador鈥檚 residence in Tokyo, and is closely connected with members of Biden鈥檚 inner circle, a rare direct line for an ambassador.

All of that suggests that the administration is unlikely to rein in its Japan ambassador.

鈥淗e鈥檚 developed an extremely close relationship with the Japanese to advance the alliance and U.S. interests and is expressing his point of view,鈥 said an administration official.

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