Talking With China, Say What You're Told You Can't Say

First, tell the truth about history. Xi mentioned the Flying Tigers implying the Chinese communists fought together with the U.S. against Japan during World War Two. That is not true. The Flying Tigers fought alongside the Nationalist Kuomintang (KMT), which bore the brunt of the fighting, rather than Mao's Communists, who fought relatively little.

Unfortunately, the White House's official visit read-out reinforced Xi's self-serving distortion of history.

President Xi also pointedly criticized Japan, warning of resurging Japanese 'militarism.' That should have been countered by noting that Japan, once a fierce enemy, has become a true friend, a consensual, humane democracy that has done much good in the region and worldwide.

It should also have been stated that Japan is America's strongest ally and that the US will not let it be bullied.

Apart from correcting distortions, what would help America's position in the region, and show Americans at home that their government puts them first, is bringing up areas where communist China has caused direct harm to Americans.

One example is fentanyl and precursors from China killing upwards of 800,000 Americans since 2013 – as the death toll rises. Xi could stop it in an afternoon. Such is the nature of China's“beyond Orwellian” surveillance state.

However, the White House's official readout stated the US and China are in fact cooperating to end the fentanyl assault. That is delusional.

And there is the murderous Covid that China unleashed on the United States and the world in 2019 and did nothing to help solve, much less take responsibility. This should not be allowed to fade into the memory void – long Covid is still killing Americans. And millions have not recovered from the economic destruction that destroyed business dreams and likely cost Trump the 2020 election.

Xi liberally talks nonsense about how communist China is good for the world. Why not accurately talk about the benefits of our own system? Especially in this 250^th year since the Declaration of Independence, talk about human rights, consensual government, freedom of speech, expression, movement, and religion – all the things Xi describes as bad.

Speak up for the freedom of expression that Americans enjoy – and simultaneously have US marshals, Secret Service, FBI, and local police crack down on Chinese thugs illegally threatening and attacking the democratic rights of anti-CCP protesters in Washington and elsewhere. Collar them, arrest them, imprison them, and deport them. And kick out of the country any Chinese embassy and consulate officials involved. And even close a consulate, as happened in Houston during the first Trump administration, to show the president is serious.

Instead, the administration did nothing. Talk about letting someone walk over you.

Finally, Taiwan deserved a mention as a friend of America and an example of what the Chinese people can be, without the yoke of communism.

Trump does have his own style – especially when dealing with leaders such as Xi Jinping, who rule by force rather than popular consent.

But he can fairly assess whether the standard policy-community approach has yielded useful results.