The ink has barely dried on a trade agreement with China, and already President Trump is speaking with unusual candor about the shadow war being waged between Washington and Beijing.
In a frank admission that should concern every American, the president acknowledged that China is “always watching us.” This is not mere speculation or political rhetoric. American intelligence agencies have confirmed that Chinese operatives have successfully infiltrated critical portions of our nation’s power grid and water systems. The implications of such penetration are staggering and deeply troubling.
Yet the president’s response reveals a more complicated picture of modern great power competition than many might expect. “We’re a threat to them, too,” Trump stated plainly. “Many of the things that you say, we do to them.”
This admission of mutual espionage represents either refreshing honesty or concerning naivety, depending on your perspective. The president continued, “Look, this is a very competitive world, especially when it comes to China and the U.S. And we’re always watching them, and they’re always watching us.”
Despite these acknowledged threats, Trump maintains that cooperation serves American interests better than confrontation. “In the meantime, I think we get along very well, and I think we can be bigger, better, and stronger by working with them as opposed to just knocking them out,” he said.
The trade agreement itself came after months of escalating tensions. Trump secured commitments from Beijing to lower tariffs in exchange for China selling valuable rare earth minerals to the United States and resuming purchases of American agricultural products. These minerals are essential for everything from smartphones to submarines, and China has dominated this market for decades.
“The power they have is rare earth because of the fact that they’ve been accumulating it and really taking care of it for a period of 25, 30 years,” Trump explained. “Other countries haven’t.”
But perhaps most concerning is the president’s insistence on resuming nuclear weapons testing, despite military leadership contradicting his claims about Russian and Chinese testing. Vice Admiral Richard Correll, Trump’s own nominee to lead U.S. Strategic Command, recently testified before Congress that neither Russia nor China is conducting nuclear explosive tests.
When pressed on whether America would break more than three decades of restraint by detonating nuclear weapons for testing, Trump doubled down. “I’m saying that we’re going to test nuclear weapons like other countries do. Russia’s testing, and China’s testing, but they don’t talk about it.”
This disconnect between the president and his military advisors raises serious questions about intelligence assessments and decision-making at the highest levels.
Notably absent from Trump’s discussions with Chinese President Xi Jinping was any mention of Taiwan, despite ongoing Chinese military encroachment on the island’s sea lanes, airspace, and cyberspace. “People were a little surprised at that,” Trump acknowledged. “He never brought it up, because he understands it, and he understands it very well.”
The situation presents a troubling paradox. We have a president who openly admits that a foreign adversary has penetrated our critical infrastructure, yet simultaneously celebrates working closely with that same adversary. We have military leaders saying one thing about nuclear testing while the commander-in-chief insists on another narrative entirely.
The American people deserve clarity about the true nature of the Chinese threat and consistency in how we address it. A trade deal may provide temporary economic relief, but it does nothing to address the fundamental security challenges posed by Beijing’s aggressive posture toward American interests at home and abroad.
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