Beijing mocks US political chaos, Trump’s ‘logic of pirates’

Beijing has declared that America’s chaotic domestic politics shows the superiority of the Chinese political system, as thousands of Xi Jinping’s top comrades gather in China’s capital.

China’s biggest annual political gathering began on Tuesday. Picture: AFP

Beijing has declared that America’s chaotic politics shows the superiority of the Chinese political system, as thousands of Xi Jinping’s top comrades gathered in China’s capital amid the biggest strain to the US alliance system since the end of World War II.

China’s biggest annual political meeting began on Tuesday with Chinese state media crowing about Donald Trump’s bullying of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, which they said proved Beijing’s longstanding protests about American unreliability.

Xinhua, China’s official news agency, said the minerals resources deal that Trump’s team forced on Kyiv had demonstrated America’s “colonialist” mentality and was “nothing more than a sophisticated repackaging of the logic of pirates”.

“Looking back at history, the United States only cares about hegemony and doesn’t care about the lives of other countries,” Xinhua wrote.

The China Daily said the White House spectacle had vindicated Xi Jinping’s “vision of a community with a shared future for mankind” and the need for Europe to reduce its alliance ties with America, a longstanding aim for Beijing.

But the Trump administration’s new ten per cent tariff on all Chinese imports – seemingly timed deliberately to spoil China’s flagship political meeting – has elevated concerns that Washington could soon turn its full attention to Beijing. The new trade hit followed an earlier 10 per cent tariff that was built on a range of restrictions imposed during Trump’s first presidential term and added to by the Biden administration.

Beijing counterpunched late on Tuesday with fresh tariffs, ranging from 10 to 15 per cent, on American agricultural products, including chicken, cotton, soybeans, beef and a range of fruit. China’s government also added ten American companies to its “unreliable entity” list.

“The US’s unilateral tariff increase damages the multilateral trading system, increases the burden on US companies and consumers, and undermines the foundation of economic and trade cooperation between China and the US,” the Ministry of Finance said in a statement.

With thousands of delegates gathering in Beijing’s Great Hall of the People for the opening of the “Two Sessions”, Trump set off another geopolitical jolt, ordering a suspension of military aid to Ukraine as he seeks to pressure Kyiv to agree to peace negotiations with Vladimir Putin’s Russia.

In Beijing’s analysis, the end of America’s unipolar moment has arrived. “A multipolar world is not only a historical inevitability; it is also becoming a reality,” China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi told the Munich Security Conference last month.

It is a point that is likely to be repeated throughout this week’s simultaneous meetings of the National People’s Congress, the main parliamentary body under China’s constitution, and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, an advisory body.

For all the geopolitical opportunity, risks loom as much of China’s economy continues to struggle amid a historic property sector slump and weak consumer confidence.

There is also the danger that Trump could turn his belligerent approach on China once he is done with Europe and the Middle East.

Trump’s foreign policy is seen as a “strategic opportunity” but with a “big asterisk”, says Neil Thomas, an expert on Chinese elite politics at the Asia Society.

“There’s a pretty high chance that he’s going to turn his focus to China,” Thomas told The Australian.

“There’s basically an entire administration behind Trump and on some days, not others, Trump himself, who want to press hard on China through tariffs, export controls, sanctions.”

Journalists queue to enter the Great Hall of the People before a press conference for the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) in Beijing on March 3, 2025, ahead of the country's annual legislative meetings known as the "Two Sessions". (Photo by Pedro Pardo / AFP)

Thomas said the Chinese political elite was concerned about American policy makers’ capacity to “cause a lot of pain for a Chinese economy that is still not in great health”.

Beijing wants to use this week’s political meeting to project confidence in its economy and to try to convince domestic and international onlookers that it has a plan to keep it growing.

On Wednesday, Chinese Premier Li Qiang is expected to set a GDP growth target of around 5 per cent – slow by the standards of China’s boom years, but still big enough to account for almost one third of global growth.

Military spending will likely increase by around 7 per cent, as Beijing continues the build up of the People’s Liberation Army’s capabilities. Science and technology, key priorities for Beijing, is also expected to get another major boost.

Party propagandists are contrasting the planned nature of China’s government with the disorder in Trump’s America and other liberal democracies.

“A strong sense of political responsibility and a pragmatic style distinguish China’s democratic politics from ‘empty talk democracy’ and ‘veto politics,’” said the Global Times on the eve of the meetings.

For all the encouraging messages from Beijing, many private businesses in China remain bruised after a painful few years.

Shakedowns of private businesses by provincial and local government officials to collect fines to make up for shrunken property sales have become more frequent. So have exit bans on business figures and fund managers, many from Hong Kong, which have added to concerns about investing in China.

“Many entrepreneurs remain very sceptical,” said Wang Xiangwei, the former editor-in-chief of the South China Morning Post.