China syndrome

I'm not sure what to make of convicted felon and adjudicated rapist president Trump's recent two-day visit to China.

It should have been an opportunity for serious foreign relations in a dangerous world of exploding economies and threats to peace and stability, but all we got, I think, was beans and Boeing.

Maybe. 

As far as I can tell, all that came out of the visit was that China would be purchasing 200 Boeing jets and lots of soybeans.

Apparently, there was no serious discussion about the disputed independent island of Taiwan, whose ownership is a point of contention with Communist Chinese leader Xi Jinping. China doesn't have it, and Xi wants it. This should have been the central focal point of the meeting, but it wasn't.

Well, other than to say that China feels as though the Taiwan question is being mishandled by the United States.

Trump said Xi asked him if the United States would defend Taiwan in the event of conflict. Trump's answer? "I said I don't talk about that."

American diplomacy at its best. I feel so much better now.

But even the sale of Boeing jets seems to be, well, up in the air.

After announcing that China agreed to purchase the planes, Trump began equivocating.

It's the art of equivocation. 

"I sort of, I think it as a commitment," said Trump in his broken grade-school approach to English. "I mean, you know, it was sort of like a statement, but I think it was a commitment. It's a great thing. It's a lot of  jobs."

Great. A definite maybe. He travels to China to improve relations and, by his own words, he's still not sure what he's coming away with. This is the art of the deal? This is leadership?

China hasn't even confirmed the purchases of the jets, as yet. But it's a great thing.

The visit did seem to fuel Trump's excessive ego. He loves nothing more than pageantry, and he got it in China with three ceremonies in two days. There was flag waving and brass bands and a lot of pomp and circumstance.

From this side of the Pacific, it looked like Trump – who brought a passel of family members and corporate CEOs with him, but no China experts – was being rolled tighter than a Spring Roll.

And most of us could see that. 

Russian leader Vladimir Putin is coming to China hot on the heels of Trump's departure. It'll be interesting to see how this visit plays out by comparison.