“‘[China sees] Trump’s alienation of American allies, his kind of obsession with trade numbers, and ignorance of broader economic… and new technology issues, his vulnerability to flattery, and so on,’ the former Obama administration official said. ‘You know, they see that as creating an unparalleled opportunity, and admittedly that price they have paid is a lot of headaches—a lot of tariffs, a lot of economic pressure and so on.’
“‘If Trump goes ahead with retaliatory moves, ‘Xi Jinping will be absolutely compelled to respond and find some way of retaliating,’ Russel said…”