So far, China does not have much to complain about America's present administration.
China's U.S. trades are flourishing as never before. President Donald Trump proudly talks about his friendship with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, and Washington's earlier incendiary rhetoric about containment and confrontation has been largely put to the side.
Since Trump took power in January of last year, China pocketed $676.6 billion in the form of surpluses on its U.S. goods trades.
And, apparently showing no interest for Washington's trade concerns, China's surplus in the first nine months of this year accelerated to an annual growth rate of 10 percent. That surplus was driven by China's sales to the U.S. soaring 8.2 percent, while American sales to China slowed to a quasi-stagnating pace of 3.2 percent.
Looking at all that, one could think that the U.S. is owed an apology — and a credible commitment to correct such an abusive trade behavior.
At any rate, American sinologists, veterans and newcomers, should ponder the Chinese audacity. The challenge the Chinese threw to the U.S. is so daring that one could doubt the wisdom of such a move against the man who ran for office in 2015 on the promise of stopping the great China "rip-off."