Jokes Between Leaders Carry Serious Weight

National leaders don't crack jokes in public for mere entertainment—they do it to send messages. And over this past weekend, foreign media caught President Xi Jinping and South Korean President Lee Jae-myung doing exactly that, joking about a certain superpower's use of technology to intrude into people’s privacy.

However, the American president wasn't laughing. In a CBS interview on Sunday, Trump was asked whether the US would "intervene" if Beijing launched a military attack on Taiwan. His response dripped with anger: "You’ll find out if it happens, and he understands the answer to that."

Trump then went further, claiming that “He (referring to Xi) has openly said, and his people have openly said at meetings, ‘We would never do anything while President Trump is president’, because they know the consequences." Analysts reckon that because Taiwan reunification would spark US-China tensions, both leaders at the Busan summit seemingly dodged the issue on purpose, focusing instead on topics like the trade war.

The "Consequences" Trump Doesn't Want to Face

Here's another joke from a head of state—and the punchline is "consequences." What consequences exactly? China's reunification cause doesn't require American permission.

Fact number one: The Taiwan question involves the moral principles established after World War II reconstruction. As Article 2(4) of the UN Charter clearly states, "All Members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any State, or in any other manner inconsistent with the Purposes of the United Nations." If the United States publicly refuses to acknowledge this, the consequences would be more than Trump can handle.

Fact number two: China is now strong enough to fend off any economic or technological containment launched by the US and the West. Consequences? Look at Russia—no need to elaborate further.

And lets not forget: there was once an unrealistic fantasy that exaggerated Trump's "art of the deal," believing he could strike a "great deal" with China, using Taiwan as a bargaining chip to extract maximum benefits for America. For God’s sake—is China's sovereignty something to be negotiated or traded? The British Iron Lady learned her lesson from China; those consequences can be quite severe indeed!

Those "China experts" at home and abroad might find some comfort in the fact that Trump appears to have made major moves on the eve of his meeting with President Xi—when deals don't work, resort to hardball tactics. The White House has called for resuming nuclear testing, which would undoubtedly trigger nuclear weapons competition among major powers, adding chaos and trouble to the international community.

Trump announced last Thursday: "Because of other countries testing programs, I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis. That process will begin immediately." Some say Trump's "nuclear order" was triggered by Russia's recent successful test-firing of a cruise missile with nuclear strike capability, but the US posture simultaneously targeting China is quite obvious. Why? In today's world, only three superpowers exist, and only China, the US, and Russia can play the nuclear missile game.

Xi's Phone Gift: A Public Mockery

The core of President Xi Jinping's joke this time was two Chinese-made phones presented to Lee Jae-myung—one for him and one for his wife. Both phones are manufactured by Xiaomi, and the significance lies in the fact that Xiaomi uses display screens produced in South Korea. The New York Times reported that Lee picked up one of the unopened phones and examined it carefully, then asked: "How secure is this phone?"

Xi laughed and said: "You can check if there’s a backdoor." He was referring to pre-installed software that allows third parties to monitor phones. Lee burst out laughing and even clapped his hands, appearing quite delighted.

What's the point of this joke? China's supreme leader publicly mocked the United States without mercy. What deeper meaning lies within? Simple: besides puncturing the myth of America, it openly treats the US as a paper tiger.

President Trump, please be cautious in your words and actions. China loves peace, but at the same time cannot be provoked. If the line is crossed, the situation will be difficult to handle.

Deep Blue

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Boys will be boys, I suppose. Diario AS captured the moment that stunned everyone. Marc Cucurella walked off in slides, hauling away the World Cup trophy his teammates had bled for, stuffed inside a see-through plastic bag. What was that about?

Rewind to the trophy ceremony itself. Trump handed the World Cup to Spain's captain Rodri, then simply refused to step aside and let the players have their moment. Online users mocked him for "clinging to the stage." FIFA President Gianni Infantino eventually had to physically steer the US president to the side of the podium. Nothing like it had happened in the World Cup's 96-year history.

Here is a theory, purely speculation. The Spanish players were furious but dared not say so out loud. So back in the locker room, they may have drawn lots to pick someone to speak for the team. Cucurella, whose curly hair sets him apart from Dutch legend Ruud Gullit in his own distinctive way, drew the short straw. He answered with a piece of postmodern performance art, mocking the graceless guest of honor.

For real, both Cucurella and Trump share a certain eccentric streak, so who else would it be when a stunt like that is to be pulled off? Before the final, Cucurella had already promised that if Spain won, he would get head coach Luis de la Fuente's face tattooed on his body.

Calling this a national embarrassment might be a stretch. But the numbers back up at least part of the charge. A survey that has drawn global attention just landed. The Pew Research Center reported last week that in 25 of the 36 countries and territories surveyed, most respondents view China more favorably than the United States, and that group includes Canada and Mexico.

Pew ran the poll between February and May, right as the United States and Israel were at war with Iran. Who tanked America's image? The answer is written on the wall.

A Pew spokesperson said this marks the first time in 20 years that global respondents rated China more favorably than the United States. Views of the two countries had crept close before. A clear tilt toward China, though, is new. The spokesperson noted the shift is unfolding as Covid-19 fades from memory and America's global image keeps sliding.

It all adds up. This has all played out during Trump's presidencies 1.0 and 2.0, a genuine wake-up call.

Listen to what the Pew spokesperson actually said. There is a link between the outbreak of war, the sense that the United States is not contributing to peace and stability, and falling confidence in Trump. On top of that, Trump's push to annex Greenland, the US military's capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, and Washington's handling of the Gaza war between Israel and Hamas have all dragged America's approval ratings down further.

America's approval could still fall further. Why? Voters, through an indirect one-person-one-vote system, elected a president with the mental age of a five-year-old. Things were bound to go wrong. You and I both saw this coming, so there is little left to say. For reference, the countries that still hold a favorable view of the United States include Israel in first place, followed mainly by Japan, India, South Korea, the Philippines, and Poland. Even in those countries, however, favorable views of the United States have been weakening in recent years.

One postscript. After Spain's victory, reporters asked Cucurella when he would honor his tattoo pledge. His reply: "I'll definitely get it somewhere visible!" Good, very good. The most important thing is not to embarrass yourself. Above all, do not fail on the tattoo and then serve up a TACO, "Trump Always Chickens Out," as a substitute payment.

One more thing. Within less than 24 hours, Cucurella's trophy-in-a-plastic-bag moment had already outshone Messi in online popularity.