But she was not in a mood to enquire how he was. She said: ‘Mr President, the action of the Chinese navy in sinking the Vietnamese ship Vu Trong Phung—’
To her surprise he interrupted her rudely and loudly in English. ‘Madam President, I protest in the strongest possible terms about criminal activities by Americans in the South China Sea.’
Pauline was astonished. ‘You’re protesting? You just murdered two Americans!’
‘It is against the law for foreign nations to drill for oil in Chinese waters. We do not drill in the Gulf of Mexico without permission; why do you not give us the same respect?’
‘It’s not against international law to explore for oil in the South China Sea.’
‘It’s against our law.’
‘You can’t make up international law to suit yourselves.’
‘Why not? It’s what the Western nations did for centuries. When we made opium illegal, the British declared war on us!’ Chen smiled maliciously. ‘Now the boot is on the other foot.’
‘That’s ancient history.’
‘And you might prefer it to be forgotten, but we Chinese remember.’
Pauline took a deep breath to help her keep her temper. ‘The Vietnamese activities were not criminal but, even if they had been, that would not have justified sinking the ship and killing those on board.’
‘The illegal drill ship refused to surrender. Police action was necessary. Some of the crew were arrested. The ship became damaged and some of those on board regrettably drowned.’
‘Bullshit. We have satellite photos. You sank the ship with a cruise missile fired from three miles away.’
‘We enforced the law.’
‘When you discover people doing something you think is illegal, you don’t kill them, not in a civilized country.’
‘What do police officers do when a criminal refuses to surrender in the civilized United States? They shoot him – especially if he’s non-white.’
‘So next time a Chinese tourist is caught shoplifting tights in Macy’s, you would be perfectly happy for the security guard to shoot her dead.’
‘If she’s a thief, we don’t want her back in China.’ This was a remarkable conversation to have with a Chinese president, and Pauline paused for a moment. Chinese politicians could be politely aggressive. Chen seemed to have lost his cool. She resolved to keep hers.
Then she said: ‘We don’t shoot shoplifters, and neither do you. But we don’t sink unarmed ships, even if they violate our rules, and it’s unacceptable for you to do so.’
‘This is an internal Chinese matter, and you may not interfere.’
Jacqueline Brody held up a sheet of paper with the words: ASK ABOUT DR LAFAYETTE.
Pauline said: ‘Perhaps we should talk about the surviving American, Dr Joan Lafayette. She must be allowed to come home.’
Chen said: ‘I regret that will not be possible at this time. Goodbye, Madam President.’ To Pauline’s amazement, he hung up. The screen went blank and the phone became silent.
Pauline turned to the others. ‘I fucked that up royally, didn’t I?’ she said.
‘Yeah,’ said Gus. ‘You did.’
*
Pauline left the Oval Office and went to the Residence to say goodbye to her daughter and husband.
Pippa was leaving on a three-day school trip to Boston, staying two nights at a budget hotel. The pupils would visit the Kennedy Museum as part of their history course. The trip included tours of Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Former pupils of Foggy Bottom Day School who were now college students would show them around. Foggy Bottom parents were very keen on elite universities.
The school had asked for two parents to accompany the trip and act as supervisors and marshals, and Gerry had volunteered. He and Pippa would each be accompanied by a Secret Service team, as always. The school was accustomed to bodyguards: several pupils were the children of high-profile parents.
Gerry had one small suitcase. He would wear the same tweed suit for three days, changing only his shirt and underwear. Pippa had packed at least two outfits per day, and needed two suitcases plus an overstuffed carry-on bag. Pauline made no comment on the luggage. She was not surprised. A school trip was an exciting social occasion, and everyone wanted to look cool. Romances would begin and end. The boys would bring a bottle of vodka, which would result in at least one girl making a fool of herself. Someone else would try smoking cigarettes and throw up. Pauline just hoped no one would get arrested.