Golf may be the stereotypical place to get business done, but when it comes to China’s President Xi Jinping, it’s best to stay off the links.
President Donald Trump has already indulged in his favorite pastime many times during his few months in office, and has used it to build relationships with other world leaders. He bonded with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe over a round, for example. So it’s no surprise that President Xi is being invited to Trump’s exclusive resort, Mar-a-Lago.
Except that may not be the smartest idea. Xi hates golf. In fact, he’s spent a lot of energy trying to eliminate the sport in China, which he considers to be elitist and a symbol of corruption. Author Dan Washburn explains:
“For Xi, golf is just such a touchy topic back home, saddled with so much baggage — the optics would be awful, with or without Trump… It’s a symbol of the corruption Xi has been railing against. It represents a lot of the things he has spent much of his presidency fighting, so it’s hard to envision the government embracing the game any time soon — at least publicly.”
He even banned members of the Chinese Communist Party from playing the sport. That’s 88 million people, by the way.
It’s pretty rich that we’re talking this much about the President’s golfing habits. Remember when Trump criticized former President Obama for playing?
Can you believe that,with all of the problems and difficulties facing the U.S., President Obama spent the day playing golf.Worse than Carter
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 14, 2014
And yet, Trump has played the game more times in his first days in office than Obama did. As of March 26, he’s played 13 times, which is twice the amount Obama played in the same time.
Considering that the two leaders have important issues to discuss like North Korea and trade deals, Trump may want to consider changing tactics to connect with Xi. He’s known to be an avid soccer fan, by the way.
Or perhaps just invite him to the White House or Camp David? You know, somewhere a little more serious government and less Club Med.
Featured Image: Screenshot Via YouTube Video.
