Trouble's recent diplomatic maneuvers once again demonstrated the "flip-flop" nature, not only canceling the scheduled meeting with Putin, but also turning his attention to China.

Last week, Trump had a phone call with Putin, and the atmosphere was relatively positive at the time, with both sides agreeing to hold a face-to-face meeting in Budapest to discuss issues such as ending the Ukraine-Russia conflict.

However, just a few days later, the situation took a sharp turn, and the White House suddenly announced that the meeting between Trump and Putin was indefinitely postponed. However, the Russian side claimed that the meeting between the leaders of the United States and Russia was still being prepared, and for a moment, the situation seemed somewhat ambiguous.

Until October 22 local time, Trump finally made a definitive statement, saying that the meeting was formally canceled on the grounds that it was "inappropriate," and he also frankly stated that the conversation with Putin was pleasant but yielded no progress.

Why did Trump suddenly change his stance?

It should be mentioned that the day after Trump had a phone call with Putin, he held a face-to-face meeting with Zelensky, directly proposing that "Ukraine and Russia cease hostilities on the spot, and both sides declare victory."

However, Trump also tried to force Zelensky to make concessions on the territorial issue, but Zelensky naturally would not agree.

On the other hand, Russia was also unyielding. Lavrov stated during a call with Rubio that he firmly opposed the "immediate ceasefire" agreement, stating that the problem must be resolved from the root cause.

It seems that Trump, seeing that the meeting could not achieve the results he expected, decided to "throw in the towel," not only canceling the meeting but also having Treasury Secretary Becerra take action simultaneously, sanctioning two of Russia's largest oil companies.

Notably, on the same day when the US's attitude toward Russia became more hardened, Trump also turned his attention to China, claiming that he expects to reach an agreement on issues such as American soybeans, Russian oil, ending the Ukraine-Russia war, and nuclear weapons during the meeting with China next week in South Korea.

Moreover, he even deliberately downplayed the impact of China's export restrictions on rare earth magnets, calling it merely "a distraction," and instead emphasized that tariffs were a more critical issue.

However, it can be seen that Trump has raised new issues with China this time, especially regarding nuclear weapons. Trump's sinister intentions are evident.

The so-called "reaching a nuclear arms agreement" essentially aims to pressure China to reduce its nuclear forces.

It is known that the United States has always regarded China as a potential competitor, trying to maintain its own nuclear advantage. Meanwhile, China's comprehensive national strength has been increasing in recent years, and its nuclear forces have also developed within reasonable limits, which has made the United States feel threatened.

Therefore, Trump wants to bring China into the game, using the so-called "nuclear disarmament agreement" to restrict China's development of nuclear forces.

In fact, Trump has repeatedly mentioned this before, but it has been rejected by China. China directly pointed out that Trump's idea is unreasonable and unrealistic, emphasizing that the scale of China's nuclear forces is far from the level of the United States and Russia.

Furthermore, China has always adhered to the principle of "not using nuclear weapons first." Its nuclear forces are used solely for defense, and their scale is maintained at the minimum level required for national security.

Additionally, China pointed out that the United States and Russia need to significantly reduce their nuclear arsenals first, so that they are comparable to China's nuclear forces, before there can be a basis for negotiations.

Regarding the Ukraine-Russia war issue, Trump mentioned the issue of China purchasing Russian oil, clearly trying to drag China into the water and force China to exert pressure on Russia.

But China's position has always been firm and consistent, and it will not be swayed by the US agenda.

From the sudden sanctions against Russia to making unreasonable demands on China, Trump's series of actions further expose his utilitarianism and hegemonic logic. Everything is centered around his own interests, and if the goal can be achieved, he will negotiate; if not, he will flip and apply pressure, and even try to shift the burden onto other countries.

No matter what, China's position remains consistent. Whether it is in trade, international mediation, or nuclear issues, China has its own bottom line and rhythm.

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7564255883706860070/

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