It is happening again. It is happening again. Well, maybe. After a convivial chat about trade with very little by way of actual debate, Fox’s Trish Regan and CGTN’s Liu Xin look set to once again discuss the trade war and US-China relations.
Regan has taken to Twitter to offer up the prospect of “Round 2” after the first debate at the end of May garnered her show plenty of attention at home and abroad:
And, once again, to clarify to the twitter universe: not everything on TV has to be a “fight”… when it comes to international issues, dialogue & discussion are a VERY important part of finding a path forward. @thepointwithlx was a thoughtful guest—& I look forward to her return https://t.co/oDd7upoAsc
— Trish Regan (@trish_regan) June 7, 2019
Okay Trish, that’s true — “not everything on TV has to be a ‘fight’”, but after you accused Liu of spreading misinformation and Liu stated that your eyes “practically spit fire”, we were hoping for something a little more heated than what we got.
Thank you @trish_regan for hosting me. Really appreciated the opportunity to have a dialogue instead of a debate. I guess this was what you had in mind too, because at this moment, we need to cool down instead of heating up. Looking forward to having another conversation…
— LIU Xin (@thepointwithlx) May 30, 2019
This is also true, but we’d also wager wasn’t what most people tuning in were expecting.
When it was announced, the first “debate” had us bemused and, we’ll admit, a little excited. But after the segment simply allowed Chinese State media host Liu to air Party talking points without being properly challenged, and she didn’t seem to be allowed to put significant questions to Regan, we’re finding it hard to get too worked up over this one.
Related:
Liu has pointed to this weekend’s national Dragon Boat holiday as a reason for delaying her response to Regan, but given the easy ride she had during round 1, and given it was something of a legitimizing propaganda coup for the Chinese State TV network she works for, we can’t see many reasons Liu would turn down this latest invitation. Whether it’ll stir up as much coverage as the first remains to be seen.
That said, if they announce that it’ll be conducted in Mandarin, or that they’re adding Trevor Noah into the mix, Regan and Liu will certainly have our attention.
Update: Looks like it’s on…
Hi @trish_regan, as I said before, I’d love to be back on your show. Let’s talk between us about when & how to have another meaningful discussion on #trade. (To the Twitter universe: don’t expect a debate, but a tough, honest & respectful CONVERSATION.) I look forward to it!
— LIU Xin (@thepointwithlx) June 12, 2019
“Don’t expect a debate”, says Liu. But but…
I hear you. Will get back to you very soon. But I don’t want to play any mud throwing game, if that’s what you prepare to do. https://t.co/ytXZN5Lk2m
— LIU Xin (@thepointwithlx) May 24, 2019
Sigh.
