‘America is going down’: China can capitalise on damage caused by Trump, retired PLA colonel says
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.
In 2024, Trump said Taiwan should pay the US for help to defend itself, despite the fact that the self-governing island already spends billions of dollars on arms from the US. Taiwan is reportedly considering purchasing a further $7-10bn worth of weapons this year, as the Taiwanese government explores a range of options for currying favour with the Trump administration.
“How confident would the Taiwanese be with the United States, especially with the Trump administration?” Zhou said. “Maybe the Taiwanese will one day consider, ‘Well, we cannot move away anyway. We will have to stay here. Maybe it’s not bad for us to be a member of the strongest nation on earth.”
Zhou retired as a senior colonel in 2020, having served more than 40 years in the PLA and in the ministry of defence. Now a senior fellow at the Centre for International Security and Strategy at Tsinghua University, he is a frequent commentator on China’s foreign affairs. [Continue reading…]