The damage caused by Donald Trump to the United States’ reputation is creating opportunities for China, particularly with regards to Taiwan, according to a retired senior colonel from China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA).
Speaking to the Guardian in Beijing, Zhou Bo said that Trump was damaging the US’s reputation “more than all of his predecessors combined”.
“By the end of his second term, I believe America’s global image will simply become more tarnished, its international standing will just go down further,” Zhou said. The people of Taiwan “know that America is going down”, which “might affect their mentality” with regards to China.
A “peaceful” unification with Taiwan (meaning no open war) is obviously in China’s interest. I don’t think being part of the PR of China is something Taiwan or any nation should go for, regardless of their influence over the world; Hong Kong’s recent history should be a warning in that regard. But China doesn’t want a war with Taiwan, they want Taiwan and would probably accept a war to achieve that goal, but would prefer to avoid it.