When China rolls out the red carpet for Donald Trump, the grandeur of its welcome for the larger-than-life American president will mask a sobering reality.
President Xi Jinping, China’s most powerful figure in a generation, is elevating his nation as a global power. Trump is unpopular and untrusted, pursued by political scandal and questions over his temperament as commander in chief of the world’s most formidable military.
As they compete over shaping the future of the world’s most populous and fastest-growing economic region, the stakes have never been higher.
On Wednesday, Trump begins what Chinese officials are billing as a “state visit plus” to Beijing, the highest-profile stop of his five-nation swing through Asia. He’ll be seeking Chinese action to rebalance trade with the U.S. and to increase pressure on North Korea. Both presidents will then travel to Vietnam and the Philippines for regional summits, where they will bid for support among the continent’s wavering leaders.
Source: The Independent
