03/06/2026
There is a line attributed to Zhou Enlai, China's founding premier ,when asked about the impact of the French Revolution: "It is too early to say." The story is almost certainly apocryphal. But as a description of how Beijing thinks about time, strategy, and the patience required to displace a rival superpower, it is more accurate than any official doctrine.When Donald Trump returned to Beijing in May 2026, most Western commentary framed it as Trump's second act another bold, unpredictable move by an unconventional president. That framing is wrong.