US President Donald Trump recently sent a letter to Xi Jinping, the President of China, who happens to be another world leader who has enforced a Muslim ban in his country, inviting Xi to join him in building a stronger and more “constructive” relationship between the United States and China. Xi has now responded to the letter, and he seems very happy.
Trump’s letter proposed a relationship between the US and China that would be healthier than it had been before, as well as more sustained, meaning he’s in it for the long haul with Xi. Word from Beijing has it that Trump’s administration and Xi’s people have been “in close touch” in the hopes of implementing stronger relations between their two countries.
Trump keeping China at arm’s length
Despite this friendly letter, it appears that Trump is keeping Xi and his country at arm’s length. The letter may have been a bid to keep China on hold for the time being, as he focuses his time on getting the Muslim travel ban reinstated and building the wall between the US and Mexico that he harped on about through his whole Presidential campaign from beginning to end.
Trump was also probably waiting to see what China thought of the foreign relations he proposed in the letter before committing to an actual meeting, since he has yet to speak face-to-face with Xi following his inauguration into the Oval Office, or even give him a call, but this will probably come very soon following the positive response to the letter.
While Trump hasn’t called Xi and spoken to him personally, he has done so with other world leaders. But although this is just a letter, his relationship with Xi could be more important to him than any of the others. It’s like when you get more nervous talking to a girl you like than just some other girl. That’s a Trump/Xi analogy, by the way.
Chinese spokesperson says letter very important
Lu Kang, a spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry, says that Trump’s letter is very important to Xi and that he’s placed a lot of significance on forging a stronger relationship with the US after receiving it. He praised Trump for including a mention of the Lunar New Year in his letter, displaying a great understanding of the country’s culture.
He also says that he sees cooperation on both parts between America and China as the only option for how to proceed following the letter.
The letter, in which Trump says some very nice things to Xi about his country and has included the usual diplomatic small talk that one would expect from a letter exchange between world leaders, follows a slow but steady series of either passive-aggressive downright sly digs at China and its policies and trade industry.
Trump cheated on China with Taiwan
Trump took a call from the President of Taiwan. Who does that? The US has no formal connection to Taiwan whatsoever, and hasn’t since 1979. China hates Taiwan, and wants it to come home to the mainland and resume being a mere province and not get shoes bigger than its feet and stop gallivanting around as a country.
Trump very swiftly ignored all of this when the Taiwanese President of Taiwan called and he picked up for a gab, probably talking about Xi behind his back and laughing at him, or at least that’s how Xi will have pictured it, which would’ve made him mad.
Trump has also mocked Beijing, challenging them on very sensitive topics such as the lack of Chinese reclamation activity in the South China Sea. But it seems bygones are bygones and it’s all water under the bridge and Xi has forgiven Trump as he’s very happy with the letter and very excited to forge a stronger bond between China and the US.
