The move is in keeping with his tendency to justify a Cold War-like global posture towards Beijing accompanied by crude, zero-sum policies supposedly needed to distract Americans from their mounting troubles at home and to justify ever larger defence budgets. I hope the American people do not fall for these gambits, but there are signs that they might be doing so.
There is no question that China is undermining US interests and contributing to this genuine free fall in relations. Beijing is stealing intellectual property (although this is less of an issue than it used to be), limiting foreign investment and trade in ways non-compliant with the World Trade Organisation, and bullying and intimidating neighbours while building a military designed in part to counter US military capabilities, especially in Asia.
