China Shocked: Beijing Reassesses Trump After Bold U.S. Strikes in Venezuela and Iran
Beijing is reeling from recent American military actions, prompting China’s leaders to question their long-held view of President Trump as all bluster and no bite.
In a new interview on American Thought Leaders, China expert Robert L. Suettinger, former National Security Council director for Asia and author of “The Conscience of the Party,” explains the growing unease in Zhongnanhai.
Suettinger points to the U.S. raid that captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in January and Operation Epic Fury’s decisive March campaign against Iran—neutralizing missile systems, naval forces, and Chinese-supplied defenses—as evidence of unexpected American resolve.
“I think that there has been a level of shock that the United States has not only been able to, but willing to, engage in these kinds of operational military on-the-ground matters.”
He adds that Beijing may now realize it misjudged the president.
“I think it’s probably a matter of considerable concern and discussion… that they maybe have been wrong about Trump all along and that there is more to his policies than they had given him credit for.”
“That has probably provided them with a lot of cause for concern.”
Suettinger predicts intense internal debate as China’s National People’s Congress convenes.
“It is going to be a major topic of conversation in the hallways at the National People’s Congress, in the back rooms of Zhongnanhai, and certainly in the discussions that go on within China.”
These U.S. successes have disrupted China’s strategic partnerships, cutting off Venezuelan oil flows and weakening Iranian alliances reliant on Beijing’s support. The result: a rattled Chinese leadership forced to confront the reality of decisive American power under Trump. Peace through strength is working—and the CCP knows it.