The Room Where It Happened

Bolton says that the shape of the 21st century and beyond will hinge on US relations with China. He challenges the view that as China grows more democratic, its political and economic ascent on the world stage will remain benign and bloodless. In Chinese President Xi Jinping, Bolton sees a ruthless autocrat whose crackdowns on ethnic, religious, and political minorities offer a chilling view of a future in which China dominates international affairs.

While Trump grasps the threat China poses economically and militarily, his record on addressing this threat is woefully inadequate, writes Bolton. He attributes this to Trump’s persistent inability to distinguish between America’s interests and his personal interests. In his zeal to make a trade deal with China that will help him electorally, the president projects weakness to the far savvier Xi, according to Bolton. This is evident in Trump’s willingness to interfere in law-enforcement investigations into Chinese companies like ZTE and Huawei, which echoes earlier efforts to squash investigations into Halkbank at Erdogan’s behest. Meanwhile, Trump fails to capitalize on opportunities to exert legitimate diplomatic pressure on China. For example, he refuses to issue a strong statement on the 30th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre.