In Trump’s eyes, everything has a price, and now he finally has an offer.
According to the South China Morning Post, Trump has received an invitation letter from China to visit China, but he has never given an accurate letter when he can't come.
It's not that he doesn't want to come, but there are two conditions: China has to promise to buy American soybeans and Boeing planes. As long as China promises, Air Force One can fly to Beijing immediately.
This is a state visit between the two superpowers. It is clear that Trump came to talk about business with a contract.
Everyone knows that Trump is in a hurry to put soybeans on the table, not simply to help American farmers sell goods.
The agricultural states in the Midwest of the United States have always been the Republican party's "iron box office", and soybean exports are the root of these states.
At this time in previous years, China placed orders for tens of millions of tons early, and received 13 million tons in the same period in 2023, but what about this year? Orders go straight to zero.
According to the data from Chicago, American soybean farmers have 16 million tons of soybeans piled up in their hands and cannot be sold, and their warehouses are almost bursting. Politicians in the state are urged to solve problems every day.
Trump's heart is clear. If the economy of agricultural states collapses, the ticket warehouse of his own campaign will have to leak, so he is looking forward to Chinese orders to "stop bleeding".
It’s embarrassing that the U.S. government wants to provide emergency subsidies to farmers, but that’s just a crackdown.
Not fundamentally solve the order problem, subsidized that is to throw the money into the bottomless hole, in the long run can not bear at all, so until now has not seen the real gold and silver rescue plan landed.
In addition to soybeans, Trump also stared dead at the Boeing plane.
He remembered his visit to China in 2017, bringing back 300 Boeing orders, worth $37 billion, was blamed as a “diplomatic miracle” by US media.
But today is different from the past. After the two crashes of the 737MAX, Boeing's reputation has long been stinking. China's civil aviation has been cautious about its return to flight. After 2019, it has only placed 30 orders, which is the same as the previous large orders of hundreds of aircraft. Compared with orders, the difference is not even a star.
Moreover, now China has more options, Airbus Europe is selling better and better, the domestic C919 has also completed its first commercial flight, and Boeing is no longer smelly.
Moreover, Boeing would have been bad today, losing $118 billion a year in 2023 and more than $600 million in the first half of 2024.
But it is the core of the U.S. military-industrial complex, and it is also the "gold owner" of the Republican campaign funds. Trump is anxious to let China buy Boeing. To put it bluntly, he wants to help his "hardcore supporters" overcome the robbery, and by the way, brush another wave of "political achievements".
On the other hand, China has not only seen the face of the United States.
Speaking of soybean procurement, China has long turned its eyes to Brazil and Argentina, where soybeans are not only affordable, but also need not worry about China and the United States when friction is involved.
Chinese importers have ordered more than seven million tons of South American soybeans, which can be shipped back in October.
And domestically, it has been working hard to increase soybean production, and over time it may be possible to realize self-sufficiency, not relying on the "wrong neck tree" in the United States.
Not to mention, China has always recognized the two principles of “safe” and “accessible”.
Boeing has had such a big safety accident, who dares to place an order easily? Airbus is reliable. C919 is your own child. You can use it with confidence. Purchasing decisions naturally have to follow the demand.
Therefore, China has clearly stated the situation: soya buy not buy to look at market demand, aircraft do not order to look at safety and cost ratio, will never make a visit unilaterally profitable, nor will the national market become a tool for politicians to "brush the performance".
In fact, thinking carefully, Trump is so in a hurry to set conditions, behind the trouble that the United States cannot withstand in the trade war.
He initiated the tariff war, shouted to reduce the trade deficit, let the manufacturing industry flow back to the United States, but now the manufacturing industry reflow is getting smaller and smaller, in turn, a thought to get China to buy existing soybeans and aircraft.
In fact, I just know that I can't win the tariff war, and I want to find a step down and keep my immediate interests first.
Prior to the fourth round of China-U.S. trade negotiations, he also played the "Robba big bang", included 23 Chinese companies in the "entity list", wanted to take the initiative to negotiate.
As a result, the Chinese side opposed the intention to launch an anti-dumping investigation into U.S. analogue chips, and also questioned that the H20 chip is not environmentally friendly and unsafe, domestic large enterprises directly rejected the new chip of the company, turning the head to domestic replacement products.
This is good. Stealing the chicken can't lose the rice, but putting pressure on it can't succeed. Instead, it's being beaten back, losing face and lining.
In the end, this interaction is a collision of two Chinese-American diplomatic styles.
China pays attention to long-term game and strategic determination, and values equal and mutually beneficial cooperation; Trump's mind is full of short-term gains and campaign considerations, and regards diplomacy as a deal.
Now everyone is watching, if Trump is still holding the idea of "talk first conditions and board again", the visit to China is likely to be difficult; only he picked up the calculator and brought out real diplomatic sincerity, both sides will be able to sit down and talk well.