Crescent International
Contrary to protocol, Chinese President Xi Jinping did not receive US president Donald Trump as he arrived at Beijing International airport on May 13.
Instead, Chinese Vice President Han Zheng and the Executive Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs (Executive Vice Foreign Minister) Ma Zhaoxu, greeted the American president.
It must have been painful for a narcissist like Trump who likes to be in the limelight and enjoys pomp and ceremony.
The Chinese wanted to deliver a clear message.
Beijing will no longer tolerate US bullying in trade or diplomacy whether directed against China or Iran.
Further, the world has changed. The US does not call the shots anymore.
Xi had already instructed Chinese companies to not comply with Trump’s imposition of sanctions on Iranian oil.
Nor did China agree to restrict buying oil from Iran, its largest supplier, saying Beijing will not allow others to dictate its trade policies.
Flying out of Beijing, Trump said he was considering lifting sanctions on Chinese companies buying Iranian oil.
While Trump wanted to improve trade relations, soured by his own short-sighted tariffs policy, Beijing made clear that the Taiwan issue remained “a very important issue in China-US relations.”
The Chinese president warned that if the Taiwan issue is handled incorrectly, it could trigger conflict between Beijing and Washington and lead to a serious deterioration in bilateral ties.
He further stressed that what he described as “Taiwan independence” is incompatible with peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.
Beijing and Washington should “cooperate and be partners, not adversaries,” Xi told Trump arguing that mutual cooperation could pave the way for “proper interaction between major powers in the new era.”
In trying to make amends following his erratic behaviour, Trump repeatedly praised Xi during the meeting and expressed optimism about the future of China-US relations.
“You’re a great leader. I say it to everybody,” Trump told Xi.
With a bemused expression, the Chinese leader looked on at Trump’s hypocritical friendship claims.
He is a convicted felon, sex predator, fraud and a compulsive liar.
Xi was not taken in by Trump’s praise.
He knew the American president was trapped in a crisis of his own making, first with the tariffs war that he imposed on Chinese goods, some as high as 145%, and then with the disastrous war on Iran.
China retaliated by restricting the supply of rare earths to the US.
This has had a major impact on critical components in global industrial supply chains and US military technology, leading some US factories to halt operations.
That is why Trump was sucking up to Xi in such a debased manner.
“It’s an honor to be with you. It’s an honor to be your friend, and the relationship between China and the USA is going to be better than ever before,” Trump said.
In the end, apart from expressions of improving relations, nothing concrete was achieved.
Xi, however, warned against falling into the ‘Thucydides trap’ in US-China relations.
It was a reference to Athens fearing the rise of Sparta as a rival power in the 5th century BC that led to war and the eclipse of Athens as a great power.
Scolding Trump for his erratic behaviour, Xi stressed the importance of maintaining stable relations between Beijing and Washington during talks with him.
In a pointed reference to US tariffs, Xi said “there are no winners in trade wars,” adding that “the essence of China-US trade and economic relations is mutual benefit.”
He also emphasized that amid “disagreements and frictions,” consultations conducted “on an equal basis are the only right choice” for resolving trade and economic disputes between the two countries.
This was another slap on Trump’s face.
The Chinese, with thousands of years of civilization, were not going to take insults from an ill-mannered, uncouth American.
Trump’s visit was delayed by two months after he launched the illegal war of aggression against Iran.
The trip was shortened to just two days (May 13-15) but even so little specific was achieved.
The path to the Xi–Trump summit was shaped during a meeting in Busan, South Korea last October.
They agreed to a temporary truce in the trade war launched by Trump.
Washington had accused Beijing of carrying out “industrial-scale” campaigns to steal US artificial intelligence technology.
China retaliated by instructing companies not to comply with US sanctions on Iranian oil.
As the mid-term elections in November loom, Trump is desperate for some good news.
Xi refused to help in opening the Strait of Hormuz.
It was open before the US-zionist illegal war on Iran.
Tankers carrying oil to China can pass through without hindrance.
