China could gain diplomatic leverage as Trump-Zelensky clash highlights US volatility

The public spat between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his US counterpart Donald Trump at the White House on Feb 28 is yet another example of how an unpredictable and unreliable America could create greater diplomatic opportunities for China, said observers. Asst Prof Dylan Loh, a Chinese foreign policy expert at NTU, told The Straits Times that the Trump-Zelensky exchange further reinforces the view that Mr Trump is “unpredictable, volatile and a disrupting force”. Noting that China has, by and large, been on the sidelines of the war in Ukraine and taking a relatively passive approach, Prof Loh said: “I don’t think Beijing has to do much. After all, why interrupt when your rival is, in the eyes of many, engaging in self-harm?” NTU’s Prof Loh said he does not expect the Trump-Zelensky incident to directly affect the chances of a meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Mr Trump, as any potential summit would be “considered on its own terms”. “Certainly China will want to control the location, proceedings, format and whether (the meeting) is open to the media,” he added.

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