As Biden continues his virtual meetings with Xi to improve relations between the United States and China and make the world a safer and more prosperous place, I hope he remembers the fable of the Scorpion and the Frog.
A frog was about to jump into a pond when a scorpion came up to him. “Hello, Mr. Frog,” said the scorpion. “There are grasshoppers on the other side of this pond, and I’m hungry. Would you please carry me across the pond on your back?”
“How do I know you won’t sting me?” the frog asked.
“Because that wouldn’t make any sense. If I stung you, you’d die and sink, and I’d drown.”
“OK, then,” said the frog. “Hop on.”
So the scorpion hopped onto the frog’s back, and the frog started swimming across the pond. But when they were halfway across, the frog felt a sharp pain, and immediately started to get dizzy. “You stung me!” he cried out. “Now we’re both going to die!”
“Sorry about that,” said the scorpion. “I can’t go against my nature.”
