Trump, as seen by delegates of China’s Congress: ‘I don’t know how his brain works, maybe nobody knows’

In traditionally opaque Chinese politics, once a year an eclipse occurs and the international press is allowed to ask questions of the delegates of the National People’s Congress (NPC) directly, without intermediaries or filters. The event takes place just before the opening of the annual session of the legislative body and again just moments after it concludes. The nearly 3,000 deputies fill the lobby of the Great Hall of the People, in Tiananmen Square in Beijing. They come and go, chat in groups and — amid the confusion and their haste to try and avoid the press — it is time for reporters try their luck, tape recorder in hand, in search of a statement.

Wednesday was such a day. Less than 24 hours had passed since U.S. tariffs of an additional 10% on the import of Chinese products came into effect, and Beijing immediately responded on various fronts. A good time to take the pulse of the Asian giant’s vision of the new trade war being unleashed:

— Why do you think Trump continues to impose tariffs on China?

— I don’t know how his brain works; maybe nobody knows.

Huang Li, one of the developers of infrared thermal imaging camera technology, dodges the question. He prefers to talk, like many of the delegates, about the new productive forces, a concept often mentioned by the country’s president, Xi Jinping, when talking about China’s capabilities in high-tech fields; and about DeepSeek, the Chinese artificial intelligence model that shook the foundations of the Silicon Valley giants at the end of January. “DeepSeek is very good, it makes us proud and encourages us. Of course I use it too,” he tells the swarm of reporters that has formed around him.

The NPC is the highest organ of state power, with the authority to amend the Constitution, approve senior political appointments (including those of the president and prime minister) and budgets, and enact laws. But it has no real oversight power: its role is to give the green light to decisions already made by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), which it usually does with overwhelming majorities. The plenum meets only once a year, during the period known as the Two Sessions, during which the Consultative Conference (an advisory body) also meets. The political event taking place this week in the Chinese capital is capturing all the attention at home, although it usually goes virtually unnoticed overseas.

The NPC’s members are elected every five years at provincial level and come from various sectors (industry, agriculture, culture, etc.) and from all regions of the country, as well as from Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan. There are also members of the People’s Liberation Army and the People’s Armed Police. In reality, it is a body controlled by the CCP.

Going off-script is therefore highly unlikely. When asked questions, most delegates disappear. They prefer not to speak. They seem aware of the risks of a slip-up. “Ah, the U.S. tariffs,” says Xiao Fuquan, one of the deputies, when asked. “Oh, China’s economic development is stable,” he adds.

But there are those who do go a little further. “I wish I knew what Trump was thinking, but only he knows that,” Chen Xiaofeng, a Hong Kong lawyer specializing in science, says in response to the same question. He is one of the few who does not shy away from the microphone. “We welcome collaboration, but we are not naive; we know that there must also be competition,” he adds.

Fearless

His fellow countryman Lin Shunchao, an ophthalmologist and member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong, is of the same opinion. “Our goal is to achieve solutions that benefit both parties,” he says. “Negotiation always involves give and take. We will try to reach a reasonable agreement, but it must be fair.” In Lin’s opinion, China “is not afraid” and is prepared for Trump’s second term because it now “understands his style and strategy better.” Although he admits that “it takes time” to find common ground, he believes that “the general atmosphere is improving.”

Lin speaks in perfect English. And he even answers the question of whether China will join Trump’s proposed peace plan for the war in Ukraine: “I think it depends,” he says to a dozen or so foreign correspondents and local journalists. “If there is a role for China and if China is invited, then I think it would be a good move. Yes, because we are, in a way, an impartial party. And, of course, China is one of the world powers.”

In recent days, some Chinese analysts have even floated the idea that the People’s Republic might get involved by deploying peacekeepers on the ground. Retired Colonel Zhou Bo, who has participated in Chinese UN peacekeeping operations, raised this possibility in a recent interview with the Hong Kong newspaper South China Morning Post: he suggested that China could deploy peacekeeping troops, with the consent of both Ukraine and Russia, to help maintain any negotiated ceasefire.

Last week, in response to Trump’s proposal — an earthquake that has shaken European capitals — Xi spoke on the phone with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, who brought him up to date on the latest developments: “China welcomes the active efforts of Russia and other parties involved to resolve the crisis,” Xi confided, according to the official statement. The clocks of Washington, Moscow, and Beijing are ticking on the Ukraine issue.

“Personally, I am very much in favor of a peaceful world,” says delegate Lin, just before the security officials eject the press from the Great Hall of the People. “I think that in the next few months it is very likely that the Ukraine issue will be resolved and China will be there.” Time is up. End of the eclipse.

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