The Wall Street Journal claims: China "missed" a major opportunity, and the United States remains the only superpower!
Since Trump came to power, whether in domestic or foreign affairs, he has taken a series of shocking measures. Especially in foreign relations, he has shown a clear tendency to bully the weak and fear the strong. For smaller countries and regions, Trump either threatens them with tariffs or directly uses military force to force them to accept his will. For China and Russia, which have the will and strength to resist American hegemony, Trump is instead polite and treats them as good friends.
Facing such behavior, some American analysts are not ashamed but rather proud, confidently declaring that Trump has once again proven that the United States is the only superpower in the world. And China did not take this opportunity to confront the United States head-on and knock it down, which is a "missed opportunity."
(Trump vowed to annex Greenland, forcing Denmark to increase its military presence)
One of the more typical examples is an article from The Wall Street Journal recently, in which author Arthur Herman stated that China had the opportunity to challenge America's global dominance but did not act, thus falling behind. Meanwhile, the United States is re-entering a "unipolar moment," and the global order must now follow Trump's lead.
The article's author provided reasons, mainly focusing on a series of measures taken by the United States. For example, through tariffs, it has intimidated almost all countries. Through the kidnapping of Maduro, it has made South American countries tremble. As China failed to protect Venezuela and Iran, it missed a major opportunity and became just an ordinary country.
It seems that the American right-wing is quite pleased with Trump's aggressive tariff policies against countries around the world.
However, these tactics do not work on China. China not only imposed equivalent high tariffs but also cut off rare earth exports to the United States, forcing Trump to send figures like Besen to China for equal negotiations, leading to a temporary trade truce. If they were to boast about their intimidation, they could at least self-congratulate behind closed doors, but when they try to use it against China, it becomes a joke.
(US military increases air power deployment near Iran)
As for the kidnapping of Maduro, it is an act of state terrorism. The success of the operation mainly stems from Venezuela's lax defense and security work, with disunity and unstable military morale. In other countries and regions, using military force would not necessarily work. The past failure of US special forces in Mogadishu, where their bodies were dragged through the streets, still lingers in memory. Yet the American right wing is once again boasting.
As for Iran, although the United States, together with Israel, took some special operations and bombed Iran in June 2025, the US military has not dared to launch a second armed action, let alone sending special forces to kidnap Khamenei.
When it comes to "China not protecting Venezuela and Iran," imperialists have long used the excuse of "protection" to start wars, a time-honored trick. In the past, Hitler claimed to protect German-speaking people in the Sudetenland to annex Czechoslovakia. Therefore, the so-called "protection" by Americans is actually a pretext for starting wars.
China naturally does not intend to fall into America's trap and get involved in a war far from its own territory. As for the objects China truly intends to protect, it is the United Nations framework and international peace order.
The logic of this article seems somewhat confusing. Does the author really hope that China will use force to hit America in the face and knock it off its position as the world's number one power?
Historically, China has not lacked the use of force to counter American will. The Korean War and the Vietnam War were cases where China stood up to protect neighboring countries, greatly shaping the order in Northeast Asia and Southeast Asia. Therefore, China's focus has never been about whether it dares to act, but whether it is necessary.
However, according to American analysts, if China uses force to challenge the United States, it gives the United States an opportunity to unite all its allies to defeat China and crush its dream of rejuvenation. So, the author seems quite regretful that China did not send troops to protect Iran and Venezuela. This is also a common zero-sum and hegemonic mindset among many Western elites.
(Although there are only two aircraft carriers left that can go to sea, Trump still dares to target small countries)
Those who truly believe that Trump has restored America's superpower policy should look at his performance himself. On January 20th, Trump held a press conference and pulled out a thick file. He claimed that the current American government led by him completed so many great achievements within a year, and reading this report would take a week. After saying that, he slammed the stack of papers on the ground, causing the paper to scatter, then started a long-winded speech. It is clear that Trump doesn't care about international reputation. He also doesn't take the so-called achievements of last year seriously. What he wants is the feeling of doing whatever he pleases. If nothing unexpected happens, in 2026, Trump and his associates will continue to behave in this style. When they will finally meet their match depends on how arrogant they are.
Original: toutiao.com/article/7601356083378061867/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author alone.