I know what you mean and there are threats posed by China, but defeat is inappropriate with at least three countries I can think of. The U.S. cannot be defeated, nor can China, and in spades we know that to be true for Russia as well. Their populations can be destroyed by nuclear weapons which provides a key for dealing with each other—say, on nuclear arms control, say, on letting the South and North Koreans negotiate a peace treaty, followed by a non-aggression pact, followed by a weapons accord which might include denuclearization.
The problem with Trump and the current mood of our country is we think in zero-sum terms. Xi was open to changing China's practices, but through diplomacy, and that might not have been much, but it was not seriously considered. China has delivered Kim to Moon all wrapped up in denuclearization as a concept. Instead of complimenting his good friend, Trump has shifted ground once again. Maybe this is his way of scotching in advance any concessions to N. Korea at the scheduled meeting in May, which I now think is less likely to occur.
But here we are squaring the circle by imposing our rational thought on a man who prides himself and needs daily if not hourly confirmation of his worth. I cannot imagine a more insecure person. Have you ever tried to argue with a potential suicide, or talked to a peacock? For the record, I've never talked to a peacock. I have suggested to a suicide threatener, "please let me know when and where, I want to watch." Not an advice. In another case the great difficulty was in getting a man's wife and his lover to shut up and let him talk. They kept reminding him he was talking about suicide, I guess because they wanted to watch. Decades later he was successful. But I digress again.
This is but the skim of past murk.
