Trump’s ‘coordinated chaos’ may be part of a grand strategy, one that doesn’t bode well for China

Scott Kennedy says US President Donald Trump’s administration seems to be following a ‘mixed message’ strategy and gearing up for a long-haul battle with China that is not restricted to trade

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Rather than seeking credibility by maintaining a consistently hard-line voice, the Trump administration may be adhering to a “mixed message” strategy with various officials conveying different messages to different audiences. Illustration: Craig Stephens

Published: 5:30pm, 18 Apr 2018Updated: 1:44am, 19 Apr 2018

President Xi Jinping’s recent speech at the Boao Forum seemed to be a crucial opportunity for China to announce bold actions to avert a trade war with the United States.

But Xi’s offer was no more than an olive twig. His vague promises to reduce tariffs, improve the climate for foreign investors and truly protect intellectual property have all been promised repeatedly before but with little follow-through. So when US President Donald Trump’s chief economic adviser Larry Kudlow responded on television that the speech was a “positive sign” and “changes the whole game”, I counted this as a rookie mistake, akin to his remarks a week earlier that the US and China are in talks to avert an escalation.

But then along came Trump’s tweet, applauding Xi for his “kind words on tariffs and automobile barriers” and “his enlightenment on intellectual property and technology transfers”. Many breathed a sigh of relief, believing that the two sides are moving closer and that a trade war is highly unlikely.