Trump’s China policy focuses on trade, ignores our values
WASHINGTON » A concern for human rights and democracy has often been seen as an add- on to our country’s foreign policy. But President Trump is demonstrating that a supposedly “America First” policy focused entirely on trade and divorced from a commitment to our values is incoherent.
Trump is embarrassing our country — and weakening it, too — by refusing to stand with the people of Hong Kong as they struggle against China’s dictatorship.
We have long wondered when the chaos of Trump’s presidency would catch up with him and endanger our country. How long could an administration that replaces policy with impulse stay out of crisis? The disarray around Trump’s China policy and the economic turmoil it’s unleashed shows that moment is now.
Somehow, Trump wanted to be tough on China and still express his admiration for President Xi Jinping’s brutally authoritarian rule.
“He’s now president for life. President for life. And he’s great,” Trump said in 2018. “And look, he was able to do that. I think it’s great. Maybe we’ll give that a shot some day.”
So it’s not surprising that as Xi tries to quell pro- democracy forces in Hong Kong, Trump used “the language used by Communist Party officials,” as The New York Times put it, in saying on Aug. 1 that Hong Kong has had “riots for a long period of time.”
“Somebody said that at some point they’re going to want to stop that,” Trump added. “But that’s between Hong Kong and that’s between China, because Hong Kong is a part of China.” Translation: Do what you have to do, China.
Trump underscored his indifference to democracy Tuesday on Twitter. Responding to Chinese troops gathering at the Hong Kong border, he said only: “Everyone should be calm and safe!”
This reaction is scandalous from the leader of a nation whose Constitution begins with the words: “We the People.”
When it came to trade negotiations, Trump blustered about imposing new tariffs on Chinese goods, sent the stock market into a tailspin, and then backed off from many of the tariffs, “just in case they might have an impact on people.”
We count on presidents to consider “just in case” issues before they act. With Trump, it’s all a thoughtless blur. Say anything, see how it goes, then say something else.
But Trump’s correctionon-the-fly may not be able to undo the damage he (and Xi) have done to the world economy. The stock market’s dive on Wednesday reflected recession fears gripping investors. Unsurprisingly, Trump’s about-face seemed motivated by a purely selfish concern for his own reelection.
Many nations, including the United States’ traditional democratic allies, view China as a bad actor tearing up trade rules not to its liking and regularly violating intellectual property rights. But rather than building a broad and united front against China’s abuses, Trump’s approach is erratic. And it doesn’t put the interests of America first.
And Trump’s affection for dictatorships squanders the high ground the U.S. historically occupied. Championing democracy is the right thing to do. It’s also in our national interest, especially when democracy is under challenge from both China and Russia and faces nationalist threats in countries with once-secure free institutions.
Trump has done grave damage to our nation by dividing us, provoking both racism and nativism, and seeking to delegitimize all who stand against him. Now, his nihilism is wreaking havoc on our economy and around the world. This is the place where a slapdash, value-free approach to governing was bound to lead us.