President Trump told reporters in Tokyo who asked about his impending meeting with Xi Jinping, “I like him. He likes me.” He predicted a successful “transaction.” The notion that Xi “likes” Trump and would allow that to influence Chinese policies is laughable. And the fact that Trump thinks about managing China as a “transaction” reveals […]…
Category: blog
Trump’s unilateral retreat on cyber security against China
This is the most important article in today’s New York Times. “The Trump Administration’s cuts to federal programs have eroded U.S. cyberspace defenses…” And quoting Angus King of Maine, a senator who helped lead by Cyberspace Solarium Commission,, “I would call it almost an across-the-board retreat from the national security defenses that we built up […]…
Jerry Cohen: A Remembrance
When I arrived in Beijing for United Press International in 1981 (after two years in Hong Kong), it was a time of great hope for China and no one seemed to understand that better than Jerome (Jerry) Cohen. He was a lawyer and former professor at Harvard Law School. He and his wife, Joan, were […]…
China’s Advantage: It Can Tell What the U.S. government is thinking
In the 46 years I’ve been following U.S.-Chinese relations (since being posted to Hong Kong in January 1979 and serving in Beijing from 1981 to 1982), this strikes me as the most complex, high-stakes moment. The Chinese are fueling conflicts in Ukraine and Middle East against American and NATO allies. They are expanding influence around […]…
This way lies madness–misinformation madness
As this article (below) in today’s New York Times reveals, the Trump Administration’s moves to shut down the government’s anti-disinformation operations is beginning to have disastrous effects. One example cited in the article in the tiny country of Moldova, which is scheduled to hold an election soon. At stake is whether Moldova can leave the […]…
