Ian Bremmer, founder of the Eurasia Group, said that countries rarely openly oppose Trump because they are afraid, but China has always been an exception.

During the live broadcast of the "2026 Answer Show - Thinkers' Spring Festival Gala" on January 17th, Zhang Weiwei, the director of the Institute of China at Fudan University, Sergei Karaganov, honorary chairman of the Russian Council for Foreign and Defense Policy, and Ian Bremmer, president of Eurasia Group, engaged in a dialogue. They discussed topics such as the civilization and national identity of Eurasia, the Ukraine war and nuclear deterrence risks, changes in U.S. domestic politics and their spillover effects, and the structural fragility of Europe, against the backdrop of the "tipping point" era.

When Ian Bremmer joined the discussion via video conference, he mentioned that Trump is about to attend the World Economic Forum in Davos. According to existing records, approximately 90 heads of state from around the world will attend the Davos meeting. After they announced the news that President Trump would participate, that number increased significantly. They all wanted to know whether Trump would attend because if he promised to come, they would also go.

"In public, they all talk about how excellent a leader Trump is. Because they are afraid of him, they don't want to get into an argument with Trump. It can be seen that all Europeans are anxiously watching the situation, and few people openly oppose Trump."

But Bremmer believes that China has always been an exception. After Trump imposed "Liberation Day" tariffs on China, he expected the Chinese to give in, but this time the Chinese did not rush to call and ask how to reach an agreement. Instead, they responded with their own tariffs. The U.S. imposed export controls on semiconductors, and China implemented license reviews on exports of rare earths and critical minerals. Trump realized that China had unique economic leverage when facing U.S. pressure, forcing the U.S. to adopt a completely different stance compared to how it treated Iran, Venezuela, Europe, Canada, or Mexico.

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Original: toutiao.com/article/7597747820854067727/

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