Biden and Trump draw China's Xi into 2020 election fray

The Xi Jinping primary has begun. President Donald Trump and Democratic White House hopeful Joe Biden are previewing a possible election duel over the world's most important geopolitical relationship. It all starts with who knows Chinese President Xi the best. And as he consolidates his power by the month and masterminds China's rise to superpower status, it's a good bet that Xi is watching very closely.

Trump invoked the name of the most powerful Chinese leader since Mao Zedong on Friday as he probed for vulnerabilities in the armor of Biden who launched his campaign a day earlier. "Sleepy Joe. He's a pretty sleepy guy. He's not going to be able to deal with President Xi," Trump told reporters. Trump is sure to argue -- if he closes a mammoth trade deal with China -- that he has mastered relations with the Asian giant, a potentially useful 2020 reelection argument.

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