By YAN XUETONG
The New York Times – January 25, 2017
BEIJING — President Trump and the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, are in a bind. Mr. Trump’s slogan is to “Make America Great Again,” while Mr. Xi’s motto is “Great Rejuvenation of the Chinese Nation.” The phrases have the same meaning: Each leader suggests his country has declined and claims that he will restore it to the top position in the world. But the triumph of one country is built on the failure of the other. It’s a zero-sum game.
Mr. Trump’s move on Monday to abandon the Trans-Pacific Partnership — an Obama administration trade proposal meant to strengthen America’s economic power at China’s expense — leaves little doubt that the president will follow through with his campaign promises to upend American trade policies, including those toward China. Taken with Mr. Trump’s postelection telephone chat with the leader of Taiwan, Tsai Ing-wen, a major break with diplomatic protocol, we can expect a jolt to United States-China relations.
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