In common with his inconsistency on most things, Donald Trump has a schizophrenix approach to the world’s other superpower, China. Before even his first term as US President, he was accusing China of being an economic threat to America—even before he had conceived of his MAGA movement.

“We can’t continue to allow China to rape our country, and that’s what they’re doing. They are the greatest threat in the history of the world.” Donald Trump in New Hampshire, 2011

“China is the biggest and best abuser. … I do not want China to dump steel into our country. They are dumping. They are stealing our intellectual property…. If they do not behave, we will put tax on them. They tax us. But we do nothing about it.” —Donald Trump at a Rally in Pittsburgh, PA, June 11, 2016

“At the centre of my plan is trade enforcement with China. This alone could return millions of jobs into our economy. China is responsible for nearly half of our entire trade deficit. They break the rules in every way imaginable. China engages in illegal export subsidies, prohibited currency manipulation, and rampant theft of intellectual property. They also have no real environmental or labor protections, further undercutting American workers.”—Donald Trump, economics speech at Detroit Economic Club, August 9, 2016

At other times, Trump was less bullish, and saw some good in such lopsided relations—even if America was not the main beneficiary.

“You look at what’s going on in China. We have rebuilt China single-handedly.”—Donald Trump, Interview with the Washington Post, April 2, 2016

In the face of hostility from the world‘s economic superpower. China did not conmtent itself with developing a unique blend of communism with to become the world’s manufacturing hub.

To develop their global policy position, Chinese think tanks have experienced rapid recent growth.over the past decade, driven by government mandate to build “new-type think tanks with Chinese characteristics” to support scientific decision-making and national governance.

While China now lies second globally in the number of think tanks it maintains. These institutions are shifting from domestic issues to actively influencing the global order and enhancing China’s soft power.

A recent report from one of those Chinese think tanks, entitled: “Thank Trump” about Mr. Trump’s first year back in office, it argued that his tariffs, attacks on allies, anti-immigration policies and assaults on the American political establishment had inadvertently strengthened China while weakening the United States. The report called Trump an “accelerator of American political decay,” with the United States sliding toward

• Polarisation
• institutional dysfunction
• Latin American-style instability.

Trump’s hostility toward China, the authors argued, was a “reverse booster” that unified the country and helped bring about its strategic self-reliance. “At this turning point in history,” They conclude with a ringing phrase that might equally apply to Britain: “what we hear is the heavy and haunting toll of an empire’s evening bell.”

After, concluding his recent talks with Xi Jinping on his state visit to Beijing, Trump deployed his customary hyperbole to the media while returning home on Air Force One:

“The meeting was very successful, world-renowned, and unforgettable: Xi had committed to withholding military equipment from Iran; both he and China want Hormuz reopened; Beijing will agree to buy oil from the US”.

Details of these talks held over the two days remain scarce.There seems little actual policy was agreed between the two sides, but the real win may be that these talks broached such topics at all. They have allowed  Ytump to dtrike more conciliatory notes over a rivak than heretofore.

“I love China—and what they said is right. I respect China greatly. I very much respect President Xi. I got to know him very well and I liked him a lot. He’s a strong guy, but I liked him a lot. I respect him.”—Donald Trump, Interview with Bloomberg, July 24

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