Mr Trump and Mr Xi do have one critical attribute in common, though -- one that doesn't bode well either for US-China relations or the future of the global economy. For his part, Mr Trump doesn't seem to think that system is adequate to the task of reining in China. For deputy under-secretary of the Treasury, Mr Trump chose a sharp critic of international organisations like the IMF. Neither Mr Xi nor Mr Trump seems to appreciate how much of their power is based upon the very global order they both ignore so readily. Mr Trump doesn't understand how the foundation of US global power is built upon the norms and institutions he belittles.

Source: Bangkok Post April 06, 2017 21:22 UTC