Wednesday in the Age of Reason-Munchausen (1988)

https://www.csis.org/analysis/beijing-suffers-major-loss-its-hostage-diplomacy

and in this Trump is no different

To make matters worse, precisely when Meng was being detained in the Vancouver airport, former president Trump and President Xi were meeting in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on the sidelines of the G20, to negotiate a resolution to the trade dispute. Trump apparently was not informed of Meng’s detention until after his meeting with Xi ended. Had he known, Trump could have explained the reasons for seeking Meng’s extradition and reduced the likelihood of Chinese retaliation. Instead, the Chinese leader may have concluded Trump intentionally deceived him, making China more determined to strike back. On top of all of this, Trump’s statement soon after that he might consider releasing Meng if China met his trade demands likely reinforced Beijing’s impression that the case was merely a hardball negotiating tactic—a game officials were willing to play. Trump’s words did not derail the extradition process, but they could have undermined the U.S. legal position had there ever been a criminal trial.

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