Asia Times |Lanxin Xiang
Chinese President Xi Jinping publicly praised the "Make America Great Again" (MAGA) movement at a state banquet during a summit with Trump in Beijing, a gesture largely dismissed by Western media and China hawks. Trump swiftly reciprocated by downplaying Taiwan's strategic importance, refusing to defend it via traditional military deterrence, and pressuring the Taiwanese government on arms sales to manage the Taiwan Strait issue within an agreed "constructive strategic stability" framework.
Xi's explicit endorsement, comparing MAGA to China’s national rejuvenation movement, is unprecedented among world leaders, who typically avoid commenting on MAGA due to philosophical disagreements or doubts about its longevity. Leaders like Vladimir Putin, Jair Bolsonaro, Viktor Orbán, and Benjamin Netanyahu have praised Trump's style or specific policies, but not the MAGA movement itself. Xi's analytical praise, implying American yearning for change, significantly boosts Trump’s image and sets a three-year timeframe to normalize Sino-US relations. This move also reflects Xi's concerns about potential US policy reversals post-Trump. The article posits that the MAGA movement, even after Trump, could stabilize Sino-US ties, curb China hawks, and prevent a new Cold War, ensuring both nations' "greatness" projects coexist.
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