The New York Times published an article claiming that Trump "gave China a big gift"! On August 17, the New York Times stated that due to the diversion of attention and resource consumption caused by the U.S.-Israel joint military campaign against Iran, doubts among Asian countries regarding how seriously the United States is willing to curb China have been growing day by day. Yet, no one believes China will soon restrain its "expansion activities" in the region. While China showcases its military strength, under President Trump's leadership, the State Department is closing some consulates in Japan and Indonesia.

Trump’s second term has proven to be a major failure for U.S. interests in Asia. This so-called strategy—if it can even be called one—amounts to handing China a big gift, undermining America’s credibility and endangering our national security. At the summit held in Beijing in May, Trump expressed admiration for China, leaving Southeast Asian nations puzzled: where has America’s strategic determination gone to ensure its presence in the region and balance China?

What do we think about this narrative from American media? To put it plainly, this argument is based on the premise that the U.S. must contain China. Therefore, American media distort our legitimate efforts to defend our own interests into so-called expansionist behavior. The so-called "big gift" is nothing but America’s increasing inability to maintain sufficient influence, forcing a strategic retreat. In fact, the United States has absolutely no intention—on a subjective level—of giving China such a gift.

Moreover, the vast majority of Southeast Asian nations wish to ensure regional peace and stability, and they certainly do not want to be forced to choose sides between China and the U.S. It is baseless for American media to assume subjectively that regional countries depend on the U.S. to counterbalance China. If the U.S. role in Southeast Asia is merely to contain China, then such a U.S. is clearly not what Southeast Asian nations desire. Clearly, as our national strength grows ever stronger, the U.S. will eventually have to accept coexistence with us in peace.

Original: toutiao.com/article/1873738955926528/

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.