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Chinese internet users hail ‘Comrade Donald Trump’ for driving reforms
- Academics say US president’s policies have been a catalyst for innovation
- But Communist Party official says Trump’s role not significant enough to merit mention in official documents
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US President Donald Trump may have his critics in China, but some internet users have suggested, albeit sarcastically, that he has been a positive force for the country, acting almost as a catalyst for much-needed reforms.
In social media circles and even on some academic forums, the American leader has been referred to as Comrade “Chuan Jianguo”, which translates as “Trump Building the Nation”. The backhanded compliment stems from the assumption that by starting a trade war with China, Trump coincidentally forced the country into a programme of domestic reforms to counter its impact.
Such is people’s familiarity with the nickname that Wang Manchuan, head of the public administration department at China’s Central Party School, used it on Wednesday at a seminar about China’s development priorities after the party’s fourth plenum.
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“Chinese internet users call Trump ‘Chuan Jianguo’,” he said. “[But] China’s top priority is to handle its own matters well, and the fourth plenum, of course, discussed China-US relations, but Trump is not important enough that he needs to be written into the fourth plenum documents.”
Wang was referring to the fourth plenary meeting of the most senior members of the Communist Party held in Beijing last month.
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“China’s advantage is that it can be selective, so we will draw lessons from the useful systems of the West, but we will not fully accept them,” he said.
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