Key mission for China at Xi-Trump summit: learning who has his ear
Trump’s unpredictability leads Beijing to seek non-traditional communication channels
Among the many items on the agenda for Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit next week to the United States for his first meeting with US President Donald Trump, learning who to trust in Trump’s team and who has the president’s ear will be a key task , analysts say.
Following a period of great uncertainty since Trump was elected, China has learned to adopt new ways of communication in dealing with the unpredictable US leader, mainly through his trusted advisor and son-in-law Jared Kushner, who is seen by Beijing officials as a “pragmatic” man, according to Chinese foreign policy experts.
“The communication between China and Kushner has so far been running smoothly,” said Wu Xinbo, director of the Centre for American Studies at Fudan University. “Kushner has been a core member of Trump’s administration. His attitude towards China is more pragmatic.”
This week’s meeting between Xi and Trump will be an important occasion for Beijing to observe and gather clues as to who is the most solid contact point in the Trump administration.
“China will need to pay attention to which side has more influence over Trump and how Trump views US relations with China,” Wu said.
Trump has not formed his China and Asian policy team, but Kushner is deeply involved in communications between the US and Beijing, as well as in setting up the first informal meeting between Trump and Xi at the Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida later this week.
Kushner has maintained regular communication with Chinese Ambassador to the US Cui Tiankai, and has passed on proposals from Cui to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who in theory is the most powerful official in US foreign policy but is believed to have been sidelined, the New York Times reported.
China still has its concerns about Trump’s trusted middleman as Kushner’s ties to Russia have come under scrutiny in the US. He has been asked to appear before the Senate Intelligence Committee to be questioned over communications between Trump aides and Russian officials.
Ivanka Trump, Kushner’s wife and Trump’s elder daughter, has also come under attack for violating the nepotism law by taking a job at the White House.
“It is still difficult to form a stable and authoritative channel of communication as the key figures in Trump’s team who are more friendly to China have yet to consolidate their political status,” said Shi Yinhong, a US affairs experts at the Renmin University of China.
Officials such as Tillerson and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin are not part of Trump’s inner circle, and division among the Trump team on Beijing has stalled Washington’s progress in forming a coherent China policy.
“It is difficult when Trump listens to one advisor at this moment and then turns to another one the next second,” Shi said.
Some Trump aides, including his chief strategist Steve Bannon, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and Peter Navarro, the head of Trump’s newly formed National Trade Council, are known to prefer a more hardline approach towards China, especially on trade issues.
Liu Weidong, a US affairs expert from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said the summit meeting was a good opportunity for China to learn what Trump is really thinking about.
Additional reporting by Kristin Huang
