Final Word from Tuesday, November 10, 2020
What's the chance that Joe Biden's ambassador to Prague will thumb his nose at the Chinese neighbor a few hundred meters away by holding an ostentatious pro-Taiwan symphony concert in his Prague-Bubeneč backyard? Senate Pres. Miloš Vystrčil, who attended just such a concert in Sept., told Czech TV last night that he doesn't see much difference between the Russia and China policies of Joe Biden and Donald Trump. It's true that Biden became increasingly hostile toward Beijing as his campaign progressed. He told a rally in Pennsylvania last month that he would lead a "true international effort to pressure, isolate, and punish China." Trump's secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, wanted a regime change and recruited people like Vystrčil and Sen. Pavel Fischer to inflame the passions with regard to Taiwan. Biden's approach is expected to be more measured and less unilateral. He won't bow down to China, but his envoy to Prague probably won't seek to antagonize it either. [ Czech Republic Television Stephen King United States of America ]
Glossary of difficult words
to thumb one's nose at - to express scorn or ridicule;
ostentatious - characterized by pretentious or showy display; designed to impress;
to inflame - to provoke or intensify (strong feelings, esp. anger) in someone;
to antagonize - to cause (someone) to become hostile.