Hardball Diplomacy: Why Trump's Show of Force Leaves Beijing Unimpressed

... interview with Sputnik. "I think Xi must have quietly realized that Beijing now has the upper hand in its dealings with the United States," Maavak believes. "If the intention was to intimidate China over North Korea's nuclear sabre-rattling, then Beijing will likely raise the stakes by providing an additional economic lifeline ... ... Furthermore, no one would trust a US president who will attack a nation just days after proffering rapprochement, as was the case with Syria," he noted. Indeed, a few days before the Pentagon's missile strike against Syria, the Trump administration ...