Tough-Talking US President Trump Behaves During Beijing Visit
Despite instances of "so much winning," US President Donald Trump is one of the few people that can lose from an obvious "win-win" situation.
This past week's three-day state visit to Beijing saw both Trump and his counterpart Chinese President Xi Jinping both voice a commitment towards "improving Sino-American relations." And yet, despite being a "win-win" situation for everyone, Trump's visit was a test that China won, reported Sina News.
READ: Beware of the Water Pig: President Trump’s Chinese Horoscope
Even though building an even stronger relationship between the United States and China was clearly the focus of Trump's agenda during the visit, they mark a huge difference from past behavior that marked him as a "maverick."
No doubt: China scored a victory by getting Trump to withhold past criticisms in favor of becoming a well-mannered guest, thereby changing from a target to an ally.
Previously, Trump promised to "get tough" against China, threatening to label the country as a currency manipulator while also insisting that climate change is a China-created "hoax," but not before daring to break decades-long political protocol.
No traces of this antagonism were on display during the visit, one that saw Trump circumvent the Great Firewall and make several China-positive posts to Twitter, a prohibited online platform in China.
"On behalf of @FLOTUS Melania and I, THANK YOU for an unforgettable afternoon and evening at the Forbidden City in Beijing, President Xi and Madame Peng Liyuan," Trump tweeted on the first night of his state visit.
This about-face from Trump's previously critical China tweets was made all the more clear during the visit when Trump's participation in several planned events saw the political upstart pay homage to Chinese culture. And for us Beijingers, a lot of it is very familiar.
While in Beijing, Trump saw a Peking opera play, visited the Temple of Heaven, and indulged in a sumptuous state dinner like the one to which he treated Xi back in April.
Meanwhile, wife Melania greeted China's cultural mascot the Giant Panda at the Beijing Zoo while also visiting an elementary school (shown above). China proved to have such an impact upon the First Lady that she even chose to stay behind and sight-see the Great Wall of China after her husband had already left the country.
But it wasn't just paying lip service. The Trump state visit showed themselves to be astute guests by going out of their way to flatter their hosts by appropriating Chinese customs.
At Thursday's state dinner, Melania Trump was seen wearing a Chinese qipao (shown above) while Trump delighted his hosts with a video that showed similarly-dressed granddaughter Arabella singing Chinese songs (shown below).
But the greatest compliment of all was the one made by the Donald himself. Besides providing glowing recommendations of his Chinese hosts, Trump has gone so far as to change the banner of his Twitter homepage to include a photograph of himself and President Xi as well as their wives.
As if to explain his change of heart, Trump pointed the blame at previous administrations in a follow-up tweet.
"I don’t blame China, I blame the incompetence of past Admins for allowing China to take advantage of the U.S. on trade leading up to a point where the U.S. is losing $100's of billions," Trump wrote before condoning China's "misdeeds" with a personal stamp of authorization.
"How can you blame China for taking advantage of people that had no clue? I would've done same!"
Before coming to China, Trump was greeted in Japan by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Abe did his best to befriend Trump with rounds of gold and gifting him baseball hats similar to ones featured in his presidential campaign, but that instead say "Make Alliance Even Greater."
Unfortunately for Abe, it's clear which side Trump has aligned himself with, even if it contradicts Trump's previous stances. But as much as China scores this as a victory, it could be only a matter of time before a serial flip-flopper like Trump changes his tune.
Images: Sina News (news.sina.com), People's Daily (paper.people.com.cn), Twitter.com, China Daily (show.chinadaily.com.cn), GlobalTimes.cn, ChinaQW.com, BJL (ourmetal.com), XJDaily.com, Reutersmedia.net
Top Stories This Week:
Beijingers Are Buzzing About: