China views Donald Trump’s America with growing distrust and scorn
And cynics in Beijing hope for his re-election
ZOOLOGISTS USE a mild-sounding term—“displacements”—for moments when a strong, young mountain gorilla confronts the dominant male in his group. Behind the jargon lies a brutal reality: a drawn-out, bloody conflict looms. China’s leaders similarly use prim, technical-sounding terms to describe their confrontation with America. In closed-door briefings and chats with Western bigwigs, they chide the country led by President Donald Trump for responding to China’s rise with “strategic anxiety” (ie, fear). They insist that China’s only crime is to have grown so rapidly.
This article appeared in the China section of the print edition under the headline “400-pound rivals”
From the January 4th 2020 edition
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