Pages

Search This Blog

Friday, January 20, 2017

Donald Trump and China’s Year of the Hawk

Donald Trump and China’s Year of the Hawk

A brash new U.S. president is on a collision course with a Chinese leader bent on consolidating power.
Donald Trump talked tough on China on the presidential campaign trail. He threatened to retaliate against an adversary that’s “raping our country” in trade. He vowed to slap 45 percent tariffs on Chinese imports, and to declare Beijing “a currency manipulator on Day One” in the White House. Yet even after Trump’s startling victory, many Chinese were unruffled. Why? Because they saw Trump as an isolationist who would allow them to work their will in the Asia-Pacific region.
As recently as October, many Chinese also believed he’d take a pragmatic approach toward Beijing. “Unlike traditional idealistic politicians who tend to place ideological values such as democracy and human rights as [their] priority, Trump has more realistic interests,” analyst Li Haidong of the Foreign Affairs University said at the time. “As a businessman, he understands the importance of making profit through cooperation.” http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/01/donald-trump-and-chinas-year-of-the-hawk-214656

No comments: