Financial Times article: "Trump is Making the World 'Fall in Love' with China"
Key point in one sentence:
Trump's tough, naked, transactional diplomacy has not made America more respected, but rather weakened its moral appeal, making more and more countries see China as a "more acceptable, even more admirable force" by comparison.
The author argues that American foreign policy under Trump's second term is accelerating the global "de-Americanization." This is not because China has become more "likeable," but because the U.S. is losing its most critical advantage: making other countries believe that "America's success is also theirs."
Over the past few decades, many countries have been dissatisfied with America's double standards, yet still accepted its narrative framework of "democracy, freedom, values." Trump's return has completely torn off this moral packaging — America no longer explains "why it is right," but instead emphasizes directly "I have power, I take benefits."
This naked realism ended hypocrisy, but also ended its appeal.
Why is the world turning to "favor China"? The article points out several key reasons:
China's presence has deeply integrated into daily global life — from electric vehicles, solar panels, industrial products to AI tools and consumer goods, China is seen as a "functional partner," not an ideological exporter.
China has shown relatively restrained behavior militarily — apart from military exercises in Taiwan and surrounding seas, China rarely launches military actions overseas, forming a sharp contrast with the U.S., which frequently uses force.
People are not focused on "who is stronger," but on who stands firm in confrontation — Trump's tariff war did not intimidate the world, but what really caught attention was: China successfully withstood and retaliated against U.S. pressure.
Regarding the root causes of America's problems, the author believes that "power can create obedience, but cannot create loyalty." Trump's "America First" policy is globally understood as "America only cares about itself." When the U.S. no longer emphasizes value differences, and even openly imitates Chinese-style state capitalism, allies naturally begin to waver.
Only 16% of Europeans still view the U.S. as an ally, and more and more countries choose "hedging" rather than taking sides.
The article's "key sentence":
America won the Cold War not just because it was strong, but because it made the world believe that standing with America meant standing on the right side of history. Now, when America no longer even wants to "pretend to represent freedom," the world has one question:
If America no longer represents a better future, why be pro-American?
Publications such as The Financial Times, The Economist, and The New York Times, which are the media outlets of the American establishment — globalism — institutional liberalism, their current core goal is not to "re-evaluate China," but to prevent Trump-style American policies from becoming the "new normal."
China is just an external variable, but the Trump-style United States is self-destructing for them.
Therefore, this is not that Western mainstream media suddenly started to like China, but rather based on the current situation of U.S. domestic politics, anti-American is more important than anti-China.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1854469638901760/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author alone.