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The great Trump riddle on China
No one knows what the US President’s desired endgame with Beijing really is.
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The Chinese are as confused about Mr Trump’s endgame as everyone else.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Edward Luce
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Smart money says that US President Donald Trump’s upside is that you know where he stands. That may be true on his love of grift and loathing of immigrants and trade deficits. When it comes to Mr Trump and China, however, economists should drop their caveat about “all things being equal”.
Nothing to do with Mr Trump’s China policy is predictable, let alone equal. Does he care about Taiwan? Let’s toss a coin. Does he want the US to decouple from China? Spin the roulette wheel. Mr Trump’s supposed coming phone call with China’s President Xi Jinping is unlikely to lift our confusion. China is the ultimate Trump riddle.
