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LettersWhat drives Trump’s trade war: fear of China and a culture gap
- It’s not just Donald Trump, it’s not even just the United States; China’s decisions under Xi Jinping worry many
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I refer to your article on Hong Kong tycoon Ronnie Chan Chichung, “How China misread the US in first round of talks” (January 21). Mr Chan’s insights are interesting because of his extensive high-level information network within the US and in China. He is correct that trade is not the principal reason for the current friction between Washington and Beijing. Chan admits failure to understand why his distinguished American connections switched from being China-friendly to being hawkish.
However, contrary to Chan’s view, I doubt that such prominent people have all become “brain-dead” as a result of US President Donald Trump’s tweets. Conversely, it’s possible those people cannot fathom why Chan cannot see that China has moved rapidly from collaborative economic partner to strategic and ideological adversary.
President Xi Jinping’s “Belt and Road Initiative” and “Made in China 2025” strategies are not viewed as benign multinationalism but as an increasing challenge to America’s global influence. The real wake-up call in the US was President Xi’s establishment at the head of the three Chinese organs of power – party, state and military – and the scrapping of the term limits initiated by former paramount leader Deng Xiaoping.
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President Xi is now seen as a revisionist rather than a reformist. Your article “A benign lion roars” (January 22) shows that Europeans are also waking up to Beijing’s growing power and international reach. There is a growing cultural gap that will be difficult to bridge.
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In England, we joke that Americans think money can buy freedom, but Chinese think that money can buy relationships. Perhaps a case of many a true word spoken in jest?
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