Chinese President Xi Jinping has been throwing shade at Donald Trump over his isolationist policies lately, and the world is taking notice. The Trump administration’s “America First” attitude has garnered a lot of criticism from the leader, but he also plans to use it to his advantage.
Xi delicately commented on the issue while speaking at the Davos conference:
“The problems troubling the world are not caused by globalization…Countries should view their own interest in the broader context and refrain from pursuing their own interests at the expense of others.”
He took a subtle, poetic jab at the Trump administration with this remark:
“Pursuing protectionism is just like locking one’s self in a dark room. Wind and rain may be kept outside, but so are light and air.”
Not only has the Chinese President denounced some of Trump’s policies, he has made it clear that China is ready to overshadow America and other western countries as a foreign power. This is somewhat troubling, considering the Chinese government’s history of human rights violations.
Xi made a bold statement about China’s place in the world to Quartz, saying:
“The overall trend of world multi-polarization, economic globalization, and democratization of international relations remains unchanged…We should guide the international community to jointly build a more just and reasonable new world order.”
The government-owned Chinese press echoed the sentiment, making this statement on the Trump administration:
“Western-dominated world order is near its end as Western countries are showing less willingness and ability to interfere in global affairs—as evidenced by Trump’s isolationist foreign policy.”
The Chinese President is one of several world leaders to take issue with Trump, including Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto and former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt. Trump claims to be the best at many things, but he truly excels at making powerful enemies.
Featured Image by: Michel Temer via Flickr available under a CC Attribution 2.0 Generic license.