I think Xi might have figured out Trump’s secret. He has no fucking clue what he’s doing. He scares people into reacting by being reckless, then claims a win for getting a reaction.
Didn't this happen last time? Less dramatically, but still.
He puts in a bunch of tariffs. China reciprocates. The market is thrown into chaos. He shouts and screams. China ignores him. He backtracks. China ends the tariffs but doesn't do anything to try and appease him. He claims it's a victory. His fluffers say the tariffs were just to bring China to the table, which justifies the hit to the market, despite the fact China didn't come to the table and President Pigshit didn't articulate what China could actually give him to end the tariffs.
Then everyone dumps on him, and he says the roll back was fake news and it's still happening, but nobody even in the administration knows what's going on.
...
Trump keeps begging for China deal while bragging about phone calls kissing his ass. No foreign meetings. No envoy sent to China.
China limits US studio film releases
Bessent says Tariffs are no joke. China must make a deal.
Chinese airlines refuse Boeing+parts deliveries (reported as "China orders", but leopards were not going to make US aerospace affordable at 125% tariffs.
The Americans are panicking over China, they have no idea what to do and are just making knee-jerk responses pretending they are doing something and looking 'tough' in the eyes of Americans. Yet what exactly can they do to a country that has 3 trillion US dollars in 'spare change' of your currency and holds US$759 billion in your treasury bills?
The fact is, just like the financial meltdown a while back, China will just use this opportunity to buy up even MORE of American manufacturing, invest in building more US manufacturing plants (using American slave labor wage workers) and soon the US will be nothing more than a branch plant country for Chinese corporations, all profits returning back to China.
Say what you will about China’s political system. At least it is much more of a meritocracy. The politicians who climb up the ranks are the ones who have a proven record of achievements.
In the US the people can elect a charlatan with no experience whatsoever, i.e. an outsider, and some will spin this as a good thing. Would you hire an outsider doctor or plumber?
Edit: since people are failing to understand the idea. Remember how Republicans mocked Obama for being a community organizer? Imagine the opposite, any president must have some demonstrable experience as a community organizer. It is not a panacea, Obama still committed war crimes and was beholden to moneyed interests but much much much more qualified than Trump could ever be. Merit doesn’t mean the person will be good but that they will be qualified.