After the Trump-Xi summit, China, not America, is on the back foot

The Chinese Communist Party has been tirelessly promoting a narrative to non-Western populations: First, the U.S. is in decline; second, China’s rise and dominance are assured; and third, the eclipse of the West is inevitable.

As Xi Jinping met with President Trump this week, the Chinese leader wanted the meeting to appear as though a fading and resentful U.S. is continuing to pass the torch to an ascendant and magnanimous China.

Some Americans were nervous about what Trump, preoccupied with the Iran war, might have carelessly conceded in Beijing, even if no grand bargain was on the table. But a desperate Xi was even more anxious as he confronted growing domestic criticism for his overreach and heavy-handed mishandling of his country’s politics and the economy.

This is because Trump has inadvertently but effectively disrupted China’s carefully crafted script about American impotence and irrelevance. China, rather than the U.S., is on the back foot.

To advance its narrative, Beijing weaponizes history and claims to be a victim of the West. Its historical perspective can be convincing because it mixes elements of truth with substantial falsehoods and misrepresentations. It begins with the so-called century of humiliation at the hands of Western and Japanese powers from the mid-1800s onward, followed by the Chinese Communist Party’s sacred mission to return China to greatness and preeminence. 

Xi’s notion of Chinese rejuvenation feeds on this narrative. According to his framing, the end of the Second World War left the world in an unnatural state. By historical accident, America became the dominant power. From this position, the U.S. cleverly built and supported........

© The Hill