China calls US 'giant with limp'

Trade leverage is the real story here. China is walking into next week’s Trump–Xi summit in Beijing looking less cornered than Washington expected. The reason is simple — the U.S. is trying to manage a war shock around Iran while also keeping pressure on China, and Beijing thinks that split focus shows weakness. At the same time, China just posted surprisingly strong April trade numbers, and U.S. courts have kept chipping away at Trump’s favorite tariff tools. ### Why are Chinese officials sounding so confident? Because the basic message from Chinese state-linked analysts is that the U.S. looks overextended. CNBC’s reporting on the summit setup captured that mood clearly — Chinese policy voices are framing the Iran war as a drain on American bandwidth, money, and diplomatic attention. One analyst used the phrase “giant with limp,” which is a pretty vivid way of saying Beijing sees power without full freedom of action. (apnews.com) ### What changed on the economic side? China’s April trade numbers gave Beijing a timely confidence boost. Exports rose 14.1% from a year earlier, much faster than expected, and imports jumped 25.3%, leaving a trade surplus of about $84.8 billion. That matters because it suggests China’s export machine is still running hard even with higher U.S. tariffs and shipping stress tied to the Iran conflict. If Washington hoped economic pain would soften China before the summit, these numbers point the other way. (cnbc.com) ### Why do the tariff rulings matter so much? Because tariffs were supposed to be Trump’s main coercive tool. The New York Times and Ars Technica both describe a one-two legal hit: first the Supreme Court knocked out a set of emergency tariffs, then a federal trade court ruled that Trump’s replacement 10% global tariff was illegal too. That does not erase every U.S. tariff on China, but it weakens the White House’s ability to threaten broad new duties quickly and unilaterally. (apnews.com) Beijing notices that. ### So what will dominate the summit? Probably Iran more than tariffs. The summit was already important for trade, rare earths, and supply chains, but the war around the Strait of Hormuz has pushed energy security and crisis management toward the top of the agenda. Chinese analysts told CNBC that if Trump can help calm the Iran conflict, that alone would count as a major summit success. The catch is that every minute spent on war de-escalation is a minute not spent hammering out trade concessions. (nytimes.com) ### Why does that help Beijing? Because delay is not always neutral. If tariffs are tied up in court and China’s exports are still growing, time starts to work in Beijing’s favor. China can arrive at the meeting without looking desperate, resist pressure on rare earths or industrial policy, and wait to see whether U.S. legal and geopolitical problems deepen. That is a much better position than the one Washington wanted to create. (cnbc.com) ### Is the U.S. actually losing leverage? Not completely. The U.S. still has other trade authorities, ongoing investigations, and broader financial and technology restrictions it can use. But the mood has shifted. Instead of Beijing showing up under obvious economic strain, both sides are arriving with reasons to think the other needs a deal more. That makes the summit less about one side forcing concessions and more about who can turn a messy moment into a narrower bargain. (apnews.com) ### What’s the bottom line? China’s “giant with limp” line is propaganda — but it is also a negotiating signal. Beijing is telling Washington that war pressure, strong Chinese exports, and U.S. tariff setbacks have changed the balance going into the summit. Whether that confidence is real or overplayed, it means Trump is heading into Beijing with less obvious leverage than he had even a week ago. (apnews.com) (usnews.com)