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Donald Trump attacks ‘significant Chinese trade holdings’ of the Senate Republican family
Former President Donald Trump’s unbridled attack on a powerful Senate Republican citing his wife’s business ties to China suggests he will continue to use Beijing as a club against the Joe Biden administration and its adversaries as it maneuvers to retain influence, analysts said. and former officials. Trump questioned Mitch McConnell’s effectiveness, personality and credibility in a barrage Tuesday after the Senate Republican leader blamed him for being “practically and morally” responsible for the deadly January 6 attack on the Capitol building. After calling McConnell “stern” and “sullen,” Trump scoffed at McConnell’s ability to take a tough stance on China given his family’s “significant Chinese business involvement”. Get the latest insights and analysis from our Global Impact newsletter on great stories originating from China. McConnell is married to Elaine Chao, Trump’s former transportation secretary, whose family owns a shipping company linked to Chinese state-owned companies. Chao resigned on January 7, saying she was “deeply concerned” about the violation of the Capitol. “Trump is going to look for whatever ammunition he can find to get back to power,” said Jeff Moon, president of the consulting firm Moon Strategies and a former official with the National Security Council. “And China was a hot button for him during his administration that he will keep trying to push in the future.” Analysts cited several China-related areas in which Trump, supported by hardliners from China like Senators Ted Cruz of Texas and Marco Rubio and Rick Scott of Florida, is likely to hit the new administration and its critics. These include any efforts by the Biden administration to find common ground with Beijing, including climate change, Iran or North Korean politics, and any measures to reduce tariffs, sanctions, or export restrictions that involve non-strategic technologies, such as semiconductors used in mobile phones. . Xi knows there will be ‘repercussions’ for human rights violations: Biden Some of these restrictions were implemented by Trump in his final weeks in office, analysts added, to politically tie the hands of the new administration. The Chao family’s business ties to China were the subject of a 2019 New York Times investigation, which reported that the Foremost Group shipping company, which transports coal and iron ore, had deep ties to Chinese elites, including the board. state-owned. China state shipbuilding. The article also reported that Chao’s extended family contributed more than $ 1 million to the Kentucky senator’s campaigns and that the couple received millions of dollars in gifts from their father. Born in Taiwan to parents who fled the mainland in the late 1940s, Chao worked at Foremost when she was young but has no formal ties to the company, he added. Neither McConnell’s office nor the Chinese embassy in Washington responded to a request for comment. Critics questioned Chao’s decision to resign “in principle” less than two weeks before the end of an administration marked by upheaval, conflict of interest and mismanagement of the coronavirus. Moon added that the former reality host’s attack was targeted, personal, and likely effective. “Even in a business that requires thick skin, it hurts to have someone chase your wife,” he said. Communication experts said Trump’s attack on Chao follows a well-worn playbook of turning against those closest to you and dismissing the allegations without worrying about their veracity. McConnell, as Senate Majority Leader, led a major Trump tax cut and helped confirm numerous conservative justices, while Chao was a chosen and vetted cabinet member. “As with several of those appointed by Trump, the question arises as to why he or she was in his cabinet, but that logic does not seem to apply,” said Brett Bruen, president of Global Situation Room, a crisis management firm. , and former White House chief of global engagement. “You don’t really need to substantiate your accusations because even though they may involve above-the-table activities, you can use them to smear.” China and the US face a test of UN cooperation over UK pressure for a vaccine ceasefire Hammering down opponents against China can be effective in several respects, analysts said. The American public and major political parties are increasingly wary of China, in part because of its increasingly assertive foreign policy and the crackdown in Hong Kong and Xinjiang, they said. “The bipartisan attitude toward China has changed a lot,” said Jeffrey Wright, an analyst at political risk consultancy Eurasia Group. “It’s an easy characterization to do.” A Pew Research poll released last summer found that 73 percent of Americans have an unfavorable view of China, the highest level since Pew began asking the question 16 years ago. Trump’s innuendo also refers to long-standing racism that has emerged in the wake of the US-China tensions, the coronavirus, and his own use of terms such as the “China virus.” But analysts said the Biden administration has some effective tools to counter Trump’s attacks and try to weaken them politically on China. Rather than respond to Trump’s insults and characterizations, which gives him an edge, the Biden administration has reduced the rhetoric and often carefully avoided even mentioning his name. This, combined with the loss of his Twitter account, has served to marginalize him, at least so far. The Biden administration has also taken a relatively well-structured approach to its policy toward China, at least so far, they added. Many of those named have experience in China from the Obama administration, reducing the learning curve, while Biden has spent significant time with President Xi Jinping when they were both vice presidents. Gone: Former Trump Casino reduced to rubble “Even though Biden waited three weeks to speak with the Chinese, he is further from establishing a relationship than any of his predecessors,” Moon said. “Biden has already had to go through the crazy Chinese banquets, the rugs, all of that, and he understands the protocol, that you have to go through an interpreter even if they speak English fluently.” “The contrasts between the Trump and Biden administrations could not be greater.” Richard Levick, president of Trump’s crisis communications firm Levick, added: “He’s a former president with declining power… China is a long-term problem for the United States that will largely be negotiated behind the scenes for a long time. Regardless of the tensions, it is always better to discuss international relations behind the scenes. More from South China Morning Post: Donald Trump attacks Mitch McConnell in fierce statement China-US relations: Xi knows there will be ‘repercussions’ for human rights violations, says Biden Trump acts as president ‘fair play’ on criminal charges After the indictment is acquitted, what’s next for Donald Trump, the Republican Party and Joe Biden? This article Donald Trump attacks the ‘major Chinese trade holdings’ of the Senate Republican family first appeared in the South China Morning Post’s South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2021.
