RNA - It was President Trump’s first direct order to the military for the use of force. Strange enough, it also happened during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s ongoing visit to the US during which Trump talked of “great relationship” with Beijing in a bid to broach sensitive security and commercial issues.
For obvious reasons, however, the timing of Syria attack has created anger, fear and frustration among the Chinese instead. It has also overshadowed the long-awaiting meeting as it is seen as an insult to a nation that continues to support Syria’s War on Terror and seeks a political solution to the US-made humanitarian crisis:
1- China, which alongside Russia has repeatedly opposed UN resolutions against the Syrian government, is against the escalation of the conflict under any pretext. It is obvious that Beijing is both angered and frustrated by the strike. It is urging all parties to be restrained in their actions “TO PREVENT AN ALL-OUT WAR (emphasis here). The Chinese government says it is important to prevent a further deterioration in the situation.
2- According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, "The latest developments in Syria again speak to the urgent need for a political settlement to resolve the Syria issue." It calls on all relevant parties to resolutely stick to promoting a political settlement and not abandon efforts to find a political solution. This goes against Trump’s war of regime change and his decision to escalate the conflict in support of various terrorist groups. Unlike the Trump administration, China seeks a diplomatic resolution to the violence and has already hosted Syrian government and opposition figures.
3- Unlike many countries, China has maintained its embassy in Damascus throughout the war and has a significant trading relationship with the country. China might not be involved militarily, but its Defense Ministry has been providing medical equipment and military training for Syria. Talks have also been underway to sell Chinese warplanes to the Syrian army. China offers its own ways to resolve this problem on four tracks: Ceasefire, Humanitarian Aid, Counterterrorism, and Political Negotiations, almost identical with the Iranian and Russian solution. China's engagement with the Syrian issue started after Beijing felt security concerns about violence in the region, getting growingly worried about Uighurs, a mostly Muslim people from western Xinjiang region whose grasp of Islam has been under the strong influence of the Saudi interpretation of the religion, Wahhabism. Beijing's conerns grew even worse when it came to realize that a growing number of the community has been fighting amongst the ranks of the terrorist groups in Syria and Iraq. This group of 5,000 strongmen purporting to be affiliated with ISIL has already issued a bloody video, showing ethnic Uighur fighters training in Iraq, killing prisoners, and vowing to plant their flag in China.
4- This AND the US missile attack early Friday is not a welcome development for Beijing in terms of optics. It weakens the image of President Jinping as a strong statesman on the world stage. It also distracts from coverage of his historic visit in US media. But more importantly, it says a lot about Trump and his silly gambit to show off his so-called “preeminent leadership role” while President Jinping is sitting there right beside him. It’s hard to imagine Trump would have ordered the unilateral strike at the presence or during the visit of any other world leader as many world pundits have pointed out the strike is also seen as a quiet warning to China and North Korea as well.
5- Beijing will view Trump’s strikes as proof that he is not afraid of taking dangerous military action, a reality that has potential implications both in North Korea and the South China Sea. The US president has told Beijing to take care of North Korea, else, he will take matters into his own hands. It sends a signal to President Jinping that the Trump White House cannot be trusted as a reliable partner in matters of global security.
6- The fact that Trump ordered the military strike while President Jinping is in the US is quite telling. All this is planned, Trump is telling his Chinese counterpart that he is not going to sit around and spend an enormous amount of time weighing through things. He is just going to act recklessly – notwithstanding the exchange of highly choreographed smiles and a brief handshake before the cameras.
This is the enduring, and deeply mistaken, allure of a widely held Trump idea about deterrence and global leadership. Call it belligerent foreign policy, because it does mask profound suspicions and even animosity, with the behind-the-scenes conversations being far less cordial. If the Trump administration is deeply distrustful of China, it is also the other way around. China needs to see stability in the Middle East and it views Iran, Russia, Iraq and Syria as strategic partners. It also views the United States as a reckless competitor that needs to be checked because it is taking advantage of its military presence in the region for all the wrong reasons. These views run deep in the Jinping administration, deep among the Chinese population, and now deep among the international community.
The messaging is plain: Iran, China, and Russia are the three key players in what promises to be the Eurasian Century. They are also working as one in the Real War on Terror in Syria. President Trump - and his administration - is the ultimate fraud here, willing to do anything – even provoke what Beijing says AN ALL-OUT WAR to divide and threaten these three countries in a desperate bid to regime change Syria, to stop the Eurasian Century from happening, and to “Make America Great Again”.
All this has the potential to backfire splendidly though. Contrary to Trump’s bullying expectations, recklessness and belligerent deterrence will trap his country in an unintended all-out war. He is unable to appreciate complicated multilateral relations, and he does not value delicate diplomacy when a world leader like President Jinping pays him a state visit, to say the least. Between Trump’s ideal and the reality falls the shadow:
President Jinping is in the US to see for himself if Donald Trump is really reckless enough to forget his country’s sizeable debt to China when he speaks of economic confrontation with Beijing and if he needs to remind the disorganized White House that every American politician and talking head is concerned by the huge amounts of debt that the US government owes Chinese lenders which amounts to more than 7% of US debt.
The Chinese President went to the US to tame arrogant Trump, but now sees that his American counterpart feels no respect for his presence and has taken a bold action to wire him a warning message on a colliding course with Beijing's Syria policy. Maybe it is now time for President Jinping to show Trump that the US is hostage to its foreign debts.
847/940