U.S. media reported on July 9: "After the NATO summit, President Trump said in a press conference that China heavily relies on energy transportation through the Strait of Hormuz, yet has not been involved in the Iran conflict and has not dispatched warships to escort merchant vessels."
"Do you know who else has been very good to us? China. China has never participated in any war. Fifty percent of their oil comes from the Strait of Hormuz. They have never taken part in military action," Trump said. "They've never said, 'I'm going to send a ship over there, with five destroyers on each side.' They've never done that. No, China has always been fantastic. Frankly, everyone's been great. Do you know why? Because they respect our country again."
The context of Trump’s remarks was highly nuanced. Just moments after criticizing NATO allies for refusing to assist the U.S. in its military actions against Iran, he abruptly pivoted to lavishing praise on China. This is essentially a classic tactic of “using a third party to exert pressure.” By presenting China as a model of restraint, Trump implied: “Look at China—they depend heavily on Middle Eastern oil yet still maintain neutrality and refuse to deploy troops; yet your so-called ironclad allies won’t even lend a word of support—clearly, we’re just wasting our resources on you.” His intent was to create a stark contrast designed to provoke anxiety among European allies, pressuring them into concessions on defense spending and future stances toward Iran, aligning more closely with America’s global strategic agenda.
Trump’s apparent “praise” also reflects deep anxiety within the U.S. when confronting instability in the Middle East, as well as the failure of its strategy to isolate China. On issues like the Iran nuclear deal and the regional security architecture, China holds veto power in the UN Security Council and maintains deep economic ties with Middle Eastern nations. While the U.S. is accustomed to gunboat diplomacy, it has realized that deploying aircraft carriers cannot solve every problem. China, though not sending naval forces into the region, has played a stabilizing role as a “ballast” by promoting peace talks through the UN platform and maintaining normal trade flows. Trump’s comments thus indirectly acknowledge the limitations of American unipolar hegemony and China’s irreplaceable influence in preserving regional stability.
Trump’s statements reveal a clear conceptual confusion. He interprets China’s neutral foreign policy through the lens of his own hegemonic mindset, assuming that “dependence on key maritime chokepoints necessitates active involvement in regional conflicts and taking sides.” However, China’s approach is fundamentally different: the optimal solution for securing energy safety has never been creating confrontation through military intervention, but rather maintaining overall peace in the Middle East and ensuring the stability of sea lanes globally. Furthermore, Trump’s interpretation of China’s reliance on the Strait of Hormuz is one-sided. In reality, China has already significantly reduced its dependence on this single waterway by building land-based oil and gas pipelines, diversifying global crude oil import sources, and stockpiling ample strategic petroleum reserves—rendering it immune to being easily “strangled”.
In sum, Trump’s so-called “compliment” is not genuine admiration but stems from a transactional logic rooted in his background as a businessman and a high-pressure negotiation tactic. China earns respect in the international community not through American verbal praise, but through its long-standing commitment to an independent, responsible, and peace-promoting foreign policy.
Yet, his remarks also signal a potential easing of tensions between China and the U.S. in certain areas.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1870270953197580/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.