In a spectacular ceremony at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People, President Trump received an extravagant welcome to China last week. China is 6,500 miles from the U.S. and is protected by its military. China represents our largest adversarial army, navy and intel operatives. It is also the safest place President Trump has been in two years.
Chinese state media handled the visit carefully. Their coverage portrayed Trump with the cautious respect normally reserved for a live tiger wandering through a fraternity party. Trump had just come from a hunting trip in the U.S. where he killed more RINOs than any president since Teddy Roosevelt.
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Chinese citizens watching the visit seemed fascinated. In China, political leaders traditionally project restraint and discipline. Suddenly here comes Trump, red tie flapping in the wind, speaking entirely in capital letters and free-associating through international diplomacy like a rapper.
Face it, we need China. They need us. Beyond that, trade and a good relationship stop wars. Trump is smart to maintain a good relationship with China. My second-favorite economist, 19th-century economist Frédéric Bastiat, said, “If goods do not cross borders, soldiers will.”