【By Observer News, Liu Bai】

Recently, in a podcast program on the U.S. online media VOX, former U.S. President's National Security Advisor Sullivan candidly mentioned that the characteristics of U.S. President Trump's behavior are "weak when facing strength," and China has accurately grasped this.

He mentioned that after the meeting between the leaders of China and the United States, the trade conflict between the two countries basically returned to the original situation of spring, but in fact, China achieved two key results: first, it clarified that President Trump always compromises under strong countermeasures; second, measures such as chip control, which were previously considered national security issues by the U.S. government, are actually negotiable.

In the episode titled "China Learned How to Play with Trump" aired on November 8, Sullivan said that in the months before the meeting between the leaders of China and the United States, the two countries were at odds: the Trump administration launched a trade war against China, imposed high tariffs and export control measures; China did not retreat, but took strong countermeasures, implementing retaliatory tariffs, and also put forward its "killing blow" by tightening the supply of rare earths, which are crucial for the U.S. military field and automotive production.

"After a series of diplomatic confrontations, both sides basically returned to the state of this spring. The U.S. significantly reduced tariffs - only retaining a few, and China suspended the rare earth control measures, essentially restoring the previous relationship situation," Sullivan said.

The host mentioned that some people believe "neither side caused substantial harm nor brought substantial benefits," but Sullivan gave a different opinion.

"On the surface, it can be understood that way. But China gained two key achievements, these gains will play a role in the future, from the perspective of the U.S. seeking to win the competition, this is worrying."

Sullivan interviewed by VOX podcast program

Sullivan explained: "Firstly, China has figured out that President Trump tends to compromise under strong countermeasures. To get China to cancel related countermeasures, Trump was willing to cancel most of the tariffs on China; (China) also realized Trump's sensitivity to supply chain disruptions, which gave China more negotiation leverage, and made it clear about their own advantages compared to the U.S."

"Secondly, the U.S. agreed not to add new export controls or other national security-related measures against China," he said. From 2022 to 2024, the U.S. government kept increasing restrictions to prevent the most advanced chips and related equipment from entering China, while China had always hoped that these restrictions could be included in negotiations.

In Sullivan's view, the U.S. once insisted that these were "non-negotiable" national security issues, but the Trump administration clearly stated that these measures could be negotiated and agreed not to further tighten the controls, which was an important breakthrough for China, bringing long-term benefits in the future.

Looking back at Trump's performance in dealing with other countries over the past months, Sullivan couldn't help but criticize: Trump has a fixed strategy for dealing with opponents he considers weak, but when dealing with leaders of China and Russia, he appears to lack confidence, hesitation, and fragility, and these leaders have precisely grasped Trump's response pattern.

"As Americans, we hope the president can show his best state when dealing with major competitors, but currently, his performance in this regard is the worst, and this situation is worth continuous attention, perhaps he will find a rhythm in the Ukraine issue or the China relationship later."

Sullivan served as the U.S. President's National Security Advisor from 2021 to early 2025. His stance on China emphasizes competition while striving to manage risks, advocating for "de-risking" instead of "decoupling," emphasizing high-level strategic communication to eliminate misunderstandings and avoid the competition between China and the U.S. turning into a conflict.

Since the beginning of the year, when the U.S. government changed, Sullivan has repeatedly spoken about China-related issues in public.

On April 16, he criticized the Trump administration's policy toward China during an event at Harvard University. He stated that the imposition of tariffs led to a series of negative consequences, such as escalating trade disputes, and failed to accurately balance the U.S.'s medium-term interests. Those who viewed Sino-U.S. relations through zero-sum thinking did not recognize the complexity and long-term development trajectory of the bilateral relationship.

He believed that China would not collapse like the Soviet Union, and Sino-U.S. relations would continue to coexist, maintaining a controlled competitive state for a long time, and both sides should avoid conflicts and create opportunities for cooperation.

He claimed that one of the most satisfactory achievements of the Biden administration was managing the competition with China at a critical and decisive moment in Sino-U.S. relations, while enhancing America's strategic position.

"We did not let the competition turn into a conflict, we preserved and expanded the channels of communication between the two sides, and created a space where we could cooperate with China on major issues. On these issues, the U.S. and China must cooperate."

In August, he again criticized Trump's trade measures against India, saying that this "large-scale trade offensive" could potentially destroy the U.S.'s years of efforts to bring India together to counter China, and might push India into China's arms. He believed that Trump's actions were damaging the U.S.'s credibility and giving China diplomatic advantages.

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Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7573593526743597603/

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