【Military Second Dimension】 Author: Fengyu
If your opponent suddenly flips the chessboard, there are only two possibilities: either he's crazy, or he's already lost. In any case, a person who can win a chess game won't flip the board. Now, Trump is doing exactly that, and some American politicians don't see it as shameful but rather as something to be proud of, which raises serious doubts about their intelligence. According to Observers Network, Republican Senator Murin from Oklahoma made a shocking statement, openly admitting that the external accusation that the U.S. plays checkers while China plays chess is correct. Then he turned his tone: President Trump directly flipped the chessboard and told everyone that the U.S. is not playing anymore. This statement may seem like showing strength, but it's actually a desperate cry from Washington.
Murin's remarks revealed the darkest intentions in the hearts of American politicians. For a long time, the United States has been accustomed to winning within its own set rules. As long as they can win within the rules, they will mouth the rhetoric of contract spirit; but once they can't beat you within the rules, they will unhesitatingly tear up the contract. This act of flipping the chessboard marks the complete departure of Sino-U.S. rivalry from the so-called institutional competition stage into an unregulated, zero-sum confrontation period.
(Murin)
First, we need to understand the military and strategic implications behind this action. It marks a turning point where a hegemonic country shifts from strategic offense to defensive destruction. When a superpower realizes that its once-proud aircraft carrier battle groups and financial sanctions can no longer contain the development of its rival, the only thing left for it to do is create chaos to slow down its competitor's progress. Murin's "not playing anymore" essentially means "can't play anymore." The U.S. won't quit the game, but instead will destroy the playing field. This mentality became particularly evident in early 2026, from the kidnapping of Venezuela's President Maduro to the seizing of Greenland, all revealing a kind of frantic anxiety. They no longer seek victory because they can't win anymore, so they turn to making sure the opponent can't win either—a mindset of mutual destruction—You won't let me win, neither will you have a good time. Everyone will have a hard time. It's like a gambler watching the opponent hold all the good cards, and the only way left is to destroy the game.
(Trump)
Murin also attacked China's Belt and Road Initiative, claiming it aims to make global trade routes revolve around China, harming the interests of the U.S. and the world. This is sheer nonsense. The purpose of China's Belt and Road Initiative is not to dominate, but to share our development opportunities and benefits more safely and fairly. The cornerstone of American hegemony is maritime power—the absolute control over major global sea passages. From the Malacca Strait to the Suez Canal, from the Panama Canal to the Strait of Gibraltar, hundreds of U.S. overseas bases lock in these maritime lifelines. However, China's Belt and Road Initiative, especially its land bridge construction, is fundamentally undermining the monopoly of maritime power.
This is a typical awakening of continental power. When high-speed rail and heavy freight railway networks reconnect the heartland of Eurasia, Mackinder's prophecy of the world island is becoming reality. Goods start from western China, go through Central Asia directly to Europe, or head south into the Indian Ocean. This route completely bypasses the first island chain and the Malacca Strait, which are heavily guarded by the U.S. military. For the U.S., which relies on controlling oceanic fluidity to harvest global wealth, this is a fundamental threat.
(Sino-U.S. Confrontation)
Murin's intense hatred for the Belt and Road Initiative stems from the fact that this initiative rapidly devalues U.S. strategic assets. If a large part of global trade can be completed through inland networks, then the deterrent power of the U.S.'s 11 aircraft carrier battle groups would be significantly weakened. They can block the seas, but they can't roll tanks onto the railways of Eurasia to block trade trains. This is why the U.S. sees the Belt and Road Initiative as a thorn in its side. In their view, China is reshaping the fundamental logic of global geopolitics, building a massive economic cycle on the Eurasian continent that the U.S. cannot cut off with concrete and steel. This advantage of internal warfare has turned the U.S.'s decades-long offshore balancing strategy into a joke. They tried to contain China through tariffs and sanctions, only to find out that China had opened up a broader strategic depth than the North American market.
(Sino-U.S. Confrontation)
Since Murin said Trump is going to flip the table, there's no need for us to continue playing within the framework set by the U.S. We can still match him with a different approach. Flipping the table actually makes things simpler. No matter how hysterical the U.S. becomes, the final outcome will always return to the material level. Today's U.S. is merely a declining great power with excessive financial capital and severely hollowed-out real industries. Trump wants to flip the table, but what then? Once entering a full-scale material consumption war, the U.S. military-industrial complex, which relies on global supply chains, can't withstand high-intensity confrontation.
Therefore, we can scoff at Murin's table-flipping theory, even push him a bit further. Because once the rules no longer exist, it's just a collision of pure strength. There's nothing to fear from China. Whether it's hot war, cold war, or trade war, China has faced the U.S. head-on. Decades ago, when China was poor and weak, it didn't fear the U.S. flipping the table. Now, it's even less likely to be frightened by so-called table-flipping.
Original: toutiao.com/article/7597675081241805347/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author alone.