In his 2014 book World Order , former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger opines that America is consumed with fear that “a growing China will systematically undermine American pre-eminence and thus American security”. The catchphrase of the current president has always been “America First”. The more I hear this, the more it looks to me like Donald Trump and his officials feel vulnerable and shaky about the global status of the United States. Their suspicions could have been reinforced by China’s recent displays of military might , even if these may well have been for normal, defensive purposes. Both America and China have the responsibility to rein in the hostilities and reduce the risk of all-out military confrontation. At a virtual conference earlier this month, Kissinger said that rules of engagement should be established between the two big nations to minimise the risk of recreating the uncertainty that characterised global politics just before World War I broke out. Meanwhile, Trump, after staving off what he calls the “Chinese virus”, is attacking China again. He has repeatedly vowed to raise tariffs further on Chinese imports once he is reelected as president in November. As far as we can tell, his beautiful rhetoric about rejuvenating the American economy has not materialised into reality. Whether Trump sees Kissinger as an astute politician or not, he should heed Kissinger’s advice on getting past the mindset of seeing China as a permanent enemy and launching “war” on it time and again, creating hostile vibes and the current crisis. Randy Lee, Ma On Shan US president must stop his politics of division I am writing in response to reports on how Donald Trump has tried to use his Covid-19 recovery against Joe Biden, his rival in the presidential campaign (“ Infectious Trump faces backlash for mask stunt at White House ”, October 6). Out of hospital, Trump continues to mock mask-wearing and make light of Covid-19, hoping to attack the popularity of the diligently mask-wearing Biden and reinforce his own competitive image. Yet, e lection or not, it is unbecoming of Trump, as the incumbent, to try to gain more popular support for himself by putting the country’s health care system at risk. And the authority of the president should never be built upon the suspicion of other authorities in the country, whether in science, health or elsewhere. American author John C. Maxwell said it best: “A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.” President Trump could try a little harder to understand the very real concerns about the coronavirus pandemic among Americans, in the government, and voiced by medical experts. In this way, he might gain the support he needs to continue to lead America, hopefully towards a brighter future with mutual trust and respect for all parties. Ngai Ming Chit, Tseung Kwan O
