Trump's Colombia arm-twist: Could China be a beneficiary?

Countries may prefer to ally with a more benevolent superpower

- KARISHMA VASWANI

Colombia's run-in with Donald Trump is a warning to other countries trying to decipher the US president's haphazard decision-making process. As Asian nations realize that Trump's second term could be even more erratic than his first, China is ready to take advantage of the chaos. Trump's latest move to impose 25% tariffs on an ally for not complying with his deportation demands should serve as a wake-up call. Even though the levies were quickly reversed, he achieved what he presumably set out to do: Show the world who's boss.

"This reminds governments that this is a president that behaves on a whim," Deborah Elms, head of trade policy at the Hinrich Foundation in Singapore, told me. "You never would have imagined before that the US would impose immediate harsh penalties on a really important ally, in a really important region. If you can do it to Colombia, you can do that to anyone."

China will take every opportunity to step in. Beijing was already cosying up to Bogotá before the spat with Washington, but has been accused of exploiting the situation further. Zhu Jingyang, China's ambassador to Colombia, told the local newspaper