He wrote me a beautiful letter

I could add this line to my previous cartoon of President Jinping and President Trump choking each other to death while asserting how much respect they have for each other.

I wrote him a beautiful letter.

I imposed several billion dollars in tariffs on these commie cheating bastards.

Earlier this week the South China Morning Post reported the Chinese position obliquely, "Chinese media says ..." While Trump and Lighthizer are named specifically.

From the angle that Chinese side is steady while Trump and Americans are wildly and unpredictable and unreasonably surprisingly demanding. However, they do state Chinese philosophy explicitly. The things that we've concluded about them by observation, are precisely the things they say of themselves directly in the tone of steady and reasonable adults.

"Things we think are advantageous for us, we will do it even without anyone asking. Things that are unfavorable to us, no matter how you ask, we will not take any step back. Do not even think about it."

Of course not. We wouldn't think of asking or demanding anything unreasonable. Is it unreasonable to demand you end your tariffs on us? Is it unreasonable to demand you stop cheating? Do you think we would impose unfair business practices on you in order to do business with you? Conversely, do you imagine we would continue engagement that is unfavorable to us, no matter how you ask it?

Chinese leadership cannot do anything that is not directly favorable to China. If an action does not benefit China then their leadership cannot do it. Simple as that. Black/white. Win/lose. No space between them. No negotiation for compromise. No working toward anything that benefits both countries. All/nothing. War/peace. Male/female. Yin/Yang. These opposites are two sides of the same thing. The thing is dynamic. Always in flux. But always direct opposites. Never blended. That is the philosophy that prevents them from working together toward compromise.

And that's why they pull this bullshit of working so hard and so long toward agreement then suddenly backtracking and re-writing the entire document to withdraw from previous promises and then saying "trust us" on the agreement protection mechanisms, then describing us as unreasonable and unsteady.

We're familiar with the symbol of this philosophy. But that is static while the philosophy is dynamic. The symbol needs to move in order for it to be comprehended. It's not so lovely and balanced as pictured.

The beautiful letter is written in western-speak of working together for compromise toward common goals. 

Ha!

There is no such thing as that in Chinese philosophy. There is only win or lose, and win by any and all means necessary, including rewriting contracts as they are negotiated and lying to your competitors. Including lying straight in your face. This is not peaceful negotiations, this is economic war. 

Panda face / dragon face, panda face / dragon face, wipe on / wipe off, wipe on / wipe off, psych! This is war, not peace. We win, not lose and certainly not compromise. We don't even know what that word means. It doesn't make sense in our communist Chinese culture. You guys talk funny.

Look: I can talk funny too. Here goes, "Let's keep working toward compromise that benefits both countries to our mutual satisfaction."

Ha ha ha. Oh boy, I crack myself up. You guys are hilarious. 

I write you a beautiful letter. Ha ha ha ha ha. I use all your western words. Ha ha ha ha ha. OMG, I'm making myself laugh. You foreigners sure are ridiculous. 

Trump understands this better than anyone that I've seen. He is impressive. Singular among American executives. Untold billions at stake each year. A trillion dollars in trade between us and Trump can calmly wait out China paying billions in tariffs for access to American market, and US forfeiting billions in agricultural trade for as long as it takes for China to conclude that it is in China's interest to agree to eliminate their own tariffs on us and aim for actual free trade between us, not distorted trade as their commie practice, not unfair trade, the thing that they know, with no cheating and no unfair business practices, the things that they do, chiefly the demand of forfeiting intellectual property. China has to be forced into a situation where it is in China's interest to do the right things. Or else they cannot do anything. They say this outright again. Compromise is not in their vocabulary. When they say "compromise" they're using our language, they're singing music to our ears, they are writing beautiful letters, but they are not speaking from their own philosophy, not speaking their minds or their hearts, rather, they're lying. Lying to achieve their goals, presently to resume unfair imbalanced trade and eliminate the pain that Trump delivers them for not being fair in trade.

And all they have to do is be fair, and poof, everything magically works. But for communists that is a wrenching realization. So much pain must be endured before that realization can happen.

Have you seen a president give freely this much access? Have you seen a president speak this freely from internalized truths? No teleprompter. No speech that any Harvard or Yale graduate wrote for him. Journalist pounce on him and he answers them. Fully. Extravagantly completely. He speaks to them as a father who wants them to understand the ways of the world, the sins of political parties, the conceits of individuals, the motivations of his enemies. 

He gently signals his intentions. He names John Kerry interfering in Iran. He indicates there is something prosecutable there. He let Kerry know that he is watching him and that he is considering taking action, while downplaying the whole thing. He still signaled. And he's funny. "It's the sort of thing that Democrats do, but Republicans? Eh, they're not so interested in that sort of thing. Yet, he did purposefully signal his interest. 

It is a long question/answer session and the whole thing is delightful. Do you notice a change in the people around Trump now that the investigation is done?