Just days after US President-elect Donald Trump ranted against Beijing using his favourite medium, Twitter, Chinese media, which is a mouthpiece for its government, has a message for the American: “Trump wants to treat China as a fat lamb... Forget about it!”
It might as well have said ‘fuggedaboutit!’ ,which is how New Yorkers say that phrase, and which essentially means ‘won’t happen’ or ‘ain’t happening”.
That’s what the state-run Global Times actually meant in its editorial, which starts with the line, “US president-elect Donald Trump threw a tantrum against China Sunday night.”
China initially took a harder line against Taiwan for Trump’s diplomatic gaffe in taking a congratulatory phone call from its President, than it did on Trump himself. Beijing media went so far as to say that Trump is inexperienced in diplomacy, so it was really Taiwan that tricked Trump and it’s Taiwan that needs to be taught a lesson.
Not any more. Now that it seems Trump is being deliberately provocative, it appears Bejing’s cast off its gloves. No more excusing Trump for his inexperience in diplomacy.
Not after what he said Sunday, on Twitter - “Did China ask us if it was OK to devalue their currency (making it hard for our companies to compete), heavily tax our products going into their country (the US doesn’t tax them) or to build a massive military complex in the middle of the South China Sea? I don’t think so!” Beijing now appears convinced Trump wants to bleed China dry. That’s what today’s Global Times editorial says.