Exclusive: Zhou Bo says harm done to US image may make Taiwanese reconsider their attitude towards Beijing but says he sees Trump as overall being ‘rather friendly’

The damage caused by Donald Trump to the United States’ reputation is creating opportunities for China, particularly with regards to Taiwan, according to a retired senior colonel from China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA).

Speaking to the Guardian in Beijing, Zhou Bo said that Trump was damaging the US’s reputation “more than all of his predecessors combined”.

“By the end of his second term, I believe America’s global image will simply become more tarnished, its international standing will just go down further,” Zhou said. The people of Taiwan “know that America is going down”, which “might affect their mentality” with regards to China.

  • ShittyBeatlesFCPres@lemmy.worldEnglish
    0·
    10 months ago

    If you read the whole article, his actual statements sound pretty reasonable. Like he describes (to paraphrase) China and Russia as partners but not an alliance like two parallel lines that run next to each other but never overlap. And he doesn’t sound belligerent about Taiwan. More of a “As America collapses and China rises, maybe Taiwan will want to be a part of China proper as the most powerful nation.”

    I don’t necessarily agree that China’s rise is inevitable and nor is America’s decline. (The last two days haven’t helped the latter but America has a short memory.) China’s economy, for all its strengths, can be sclerotic and legally uncertain. Trump is obviously a wildcard so the U.S. isn’t in a position to judge there. If I were rich, I wouldn’t know where to invest in either nation. Both countries, to me, need some significant reforms.

    So, anyway, I’m not endorsing his newsletter or whatever but it doesn’t seem like he’s just spouting off jingoism.