Knows How to Deal with the Underworld — Trump Has His Own Way of Handling Beijing

Senior media figure Akio Yaita (left) said that on the surface Trump addresses dictators as brothers, but in reality he is demanding that the other side make concessions. (Video screenshot)

[People News] It is well known that U.S. President Donald Trump has, on many occasions and in different settings, said that he and Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping are good friends, and has also said that he is good friends with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin. This has inevitably made the outside world curious: does Trump truly see his relationship with these dictators this way in his heart? Are Trump’s remarks mere bragging, or are they a form of rhetoric?

At present, the Russia–Ukraine war has yet to see a final ceasefire, while the People’s Liberation Army’s military exercises in the Taiwan Strait continue to expand. Russia has also taken advantage of the situation to announce military exercises in the Northern Territories. Are military ties among Russia, China, and North Korea becoming even closer? Akio Yaita, executive director of the Indo-Pacific Strategic Think Tank, said on the program Akio Yaita Newtalk that when observing how Trump deals with so-called dictators such as Putin, Xi Jinping, and Kim Jong-un, he basically does not use harsh words, slam the table, argue, or treat the other side in a humiliating manner, because “mutual intimidation will only make things rigid.”

According to a Newtalk News report, Akio Yaita believes that he later interviewed Miles Yu. Miles Yu was responsible for China policy during Trump’s first term and understands Trump relatively well. Miles Yu mentioned that Trump is best at negotiation and is also very good at “dealing with the underworld.” Yaita relayed Yu’s remarks: “When dealing with thugs and the underworld, you must never slam the table or raise your voice, because thugs are best at intimidation; instead, what thugs fear most is ‘addressing each other as brothers’ and giving face — on the surface you are good brothers, but in reality you are demanding that the other side make concessions.”

Chen Wen-chia, vice president of Kainan University and a Newtalk columnist, pointed out that both Russia and Ukraine “can no longer keep fighting,” and what remains is a matter of face. He believes that there will be possibilities for troop withdrawal, a ceasefire, and withdrawal, and stated that this war has lasted nearly four years, with both unexpected and not-unexpected aspects.

Chen Wen-chia analyzed that the unexpected aspect lies in the fact that the outside world originally thought Russia’s military capability was very strong, but in reality it has also fought with great difficulty in this war; one of the reasons is “lack of people.” Traditional warfare requires manpower, and once people are exhausted, it is difficult to continue. Ukraine likewise faces a manpower shortage — in the end, it will still move toward a ceasefire.

Trump has said on many different occasions that he and Xi Jinping are good friends. (Video screenshot)

In addition, according to Taiwan Central Radio, Sun Kuo-hsiang, a professor at the Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies at Nanhua University in Taiwan, has analyzed that addressing dictators as brothers is actually Trump’s personal diplomatic style. It is not only meant to highlight his ability to resolve international disputes, but also to achieve diplomatic breakthroughs by establishing such personal relationships between leaders. “Trump tends to use direct and personalized language to simplify the complexity of diplomatic relations, displaying what is more of his old line of work — a businessman-style pragmatic attitude — rather than emphasizing institutional arrangements or multilateralism.”

Meanwhile, Chung Chih-tung, an assistant research fellow at the Institute of National Security Studies of the Taiwan Institute for National Defense and Security Research, also believes that beneath Trump’s rhetoric of calling others good friends, he is to some extent expressing his hope of resolving disputes between the parties through communication and negotiation. △