Trump’s China visit: We left your street in disgrace

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OPINION

By Tanveer Jafri

US President Donald Trump made a highly anticipated visit to China on May 13-14. The world’s attention was focused on the meeting between the leaders of these two superpowers. This meeting was considered particularly important amid the ongoing tensions between the US and Iran.

The world was also focused on how Trump, who has often made headlines for his unusual behaviour and unsettling statements with the heads of state of many countries, including France, Britain and Ukraine, would respond to Chinese President Xi Jinping’s language, attitude and behaviour.

However, while the arrival of a US president is often eagerly anticipated by countries around the world, and is often greeted at the airport by the head of state, the US president’s counterpart, President Xi, did not personally attend the reception in Beijing. Instead, Vice-President Han Zheng welcomed Trump. Although Han is not directly the foreign minister of China, his role in foreign affairs mainly involves diplomatic representation, high-level meetings, and promoting bilateral relations.

An unusual incident during a high-level meeting between Trump and Xi in Beijing captured global attention.

During the meeting, after Xi stood up, Trump attempted to discreetly peek into Xi’s personal diary. Experts and international media attributed this “private snooping” to Trump’s personal style. This behaviour was also characterised as unsolicited peeks into documents or notes, presenting the other leader as ‘evasive’ or controlling, and employing a tactic of soft pressure during a dialogue. The world also observed Trump’s body language during his visit to China.

Trump used extremely balanced language in China and appeared to be very soft on his Chinese counterparts. Following his visit, statements were issued at various levels by the US administration and Trump himself, describing the visit as ‘historic’ and ‘successful’.

Upon returning to the US, Trump stated that his meeting with Xi would be remembered as a historic and unforgettable meeting between two great powers (G-2).

He also termed the meeting as unforgettable, describing it as a meeting between the leaders of “two great nations”.

Speaking on Iran after his visit to China, Trump said both the US and China believe that Iran should not acquire nuclear weapons and that the “immediate opening” of the Strait of Hormuz is essential. However, Trump made these statements while in the US, while China made no mention of this in its statement.

Trump also presented his visit as a “successful negotiation” and a major opportunity for American industries.

Meanwhile, China issued a strongly worded warning to Trump regarding Taiwan, which altered both Trump’s language and stance on the Taiwan issue.

Following Trump’s visit, China reiterated its “red lines,” particularly its tough stance on the Taiwan issue. Statements from the Chinese foreign ministry and presidential side described Taiwan as its “inseparable part” and warned that if the US established a military-strategic relationship with Taiwan or sold more weapons to Taiwan, it could invite “confrontation and even conflict” between the two powers.

Xi, in a warning tone, categorically emphasised to Trump that the Taiwan issue was entirely China’s “internal affair,” and that no external power would be allowed to interfere.

Xi warned: “If this is not handled properly, the two countries could reach a point of confrontation or even conflict.”

This was possibly the first time a head of state had spoken of ‘confrontation’ and ‘conflict’ in a warning tone to the US president.

The US, which has practically considered Taiwan as its biggest political and military ally, provides it with weapons in the name of its security from China and provides strategic support to maintain its independent status despite China’s opposition.

After the warning from China, Trump has now warned Taiwan against formally declaring independence after its withdrawal from China.

He said: “I don’t want anyone moving towards independence.”

Trump also said: “Imagine, we will have to go 9,500 miles away to fight a war. I don’t want that. I want the situation to remain calm. I want China to remain calm as well.”

It is noteworthy that the US, which was legally obligated to provide Taiwan with resources for self-defence, is now forced to strike a balance in maintaining diplomatic relations with China following the Chinese president’s warning. China, on the other hand, clearly considers Taiwan part of its territory and maintains that it can subjugate it by force if necessary.

China, instead of supporting the US stance on the Iran war, described it as a conflict that “never should have happened,” as if it were a war imposed on Iran by the US and Israel.

China also stressed the need for a quick resolution between the US and Iran.

Trump also did not achieve as much success on the trade front as had been hoped, as he was accompanied by 17 leading American industrialists and corporate executives, including Elon Musk, Tim Cook, Jensen Huang, Sanjay Mehrotra, and Kelly Ortberg, to Beijing.

Overall, Trump received warnings from Beijing regarding Taiwan and failed to receive the expected co-operation on the Iran issue. The only thing that can be said about Trump’s visit is, “We left your street in disgrace.”

The writer is a columnist in India