The George W. Bush Question will never be answered by Chinese President Xi Jinping. And that is a terrible thing.
Bush disclosed a favorite question he enjoyed asking foreign leaders in his 2010 biography “Decision Points” (no relation): “What keeps you up at night?”
As previously mentioned, Bush only released the response from former Chinese President Hu Jintao, which the American leader called “fascinating.” Hu, who served as China’s leader for ten years beginning in 2003, attributed his hypothetical sleeplessness to the necessity of adding 25 million new jobs annually.
- “It showed he worried about the impact of disaffected, unemployed masses. It explained his government’s policies in resource-rich places like Iran and Africa,” Bush wrote. “And it was a signal that he was a practical leader focused inward, not an ideologue likely to stir up trouble abroad.”
Talks, Trade War – or Both?
President Donald Trump’s administration and his Chinese counterparts are reportedly in the early stages of debating a possible “birthday summit” between the two leaders in June, when they both become one year older, according to the Wall Street Journal.
In February, Trump said he had spoken with Xi since assuming office. No official synopsis was released by the White House.
Trump has levied an additional 20% levy on a broad range of Chinese imports this year after enacting a series of tariffs on China during his first term. Beijing, the largest purchaser of American agricultural goods, recently levied 10%–15% retaliatory tariffs on a variety of American commodities, including beef, corn, soybeans, and chicken.
China has criticized U.S. tariffs on numerous occasions. Although the majority of experts concur that American consumers eventually suffer the brunt of the charges, Beijing’s bottom line could be negatively impacted by those actions as they would raise the cost of Chinese goods in the United States relative to their competitors.
China Sees Red – in the Books
As Xi deals with domestic issues like a weakening economy, there is talk of a summit. The Chinese leader is not immune to such pressures, as Hu told Bush.
China is experiencing a real estate crisis and slow consumption, as seen by the recent drop in inflation below zero.
In comparison to the same period last year, Chinese exports increased 2.3% in the first two months of 2025. Bloomberg predicted growth of 5.9%. In December, exports had increased by 10.7%.
Beijing has been working to promote international investment and stop capital flight.
The U.S. economy is struggling a bit, too, with slumping consumer confidence and experts raising the odds of a recession. Trump himself has refused to rule one out, though he has played down the possible impact.
A Trade War by Any Other Name
Trump’s tariffs will be imposed on a clearly troubled Chinese economy. The U.S. justification for imposing duties on different partners has changed, going from inadequate border security to unfair trade practices and back again, as Beijing continues to struggle to understand the new administration.
- Whatever conciliatory messages China has sent privately, it has blended limited retaliatory economic measures with bluster in public.
When questioned lately about the trade disputes between the two biggest economies in the world, a foreign ministry official adopted a belligerent tone.
He told reporters, “China will fight to the end if the U.S. insists on waging a tariff war, trade war, or any other kind of war.”