China digs into Trump shooting incident... "US divided, political violence increasing"

China's state-run media pointed out that the shooting incident involving former President Donald Trump reflects "a divided United States with increasing political violence." It highlighted the deepening social conflicts and confrontations surrounding immigration and economic policies, indirectly criticizing the U.S.'s pressure tactics against China.

On the 14th, China's state-run Global Times (GT) cited local experts, reporting that the shooting incident exposed the violent atmosphere and polarized partisan system in the U.S. Professor Diao Daming of the School of International Relations at Renmin University told GT, "(This incident) shows that political violence has been a persistent element in American history," adding, "It also suggests that the widespread issue of gun violence in the U.S. is difficult to resolve."

[Image source=AFP Yonhap News]

Professor Diao emphasized, "In recent years, American politics has deteriorated from mutual opposition based on political leanings to politics of personal grudges," and "This kind of 'retaliatory politics' manifested through violence is a clear indicator." He continued, "This election is not only a contest between a former and a current president but essentially a confrontation between two fundamentally different visions of America," adding, "Such conflict further divides American society and triggers more violence."

Researcher L? Xiang of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences said the incident recalls the 1972 shooting of Democratic presidential candidate George Wallace, and predicted that Trump would gain an advantage in the election campaign. He stated, "The Republican Party will try to portray this incident as a heroic moment for Trump," and "They will emphasize that Trump did not back down and will continue holding rallies."

Jin Kanlong, Deputy Dean of the School of International Studies at Renmin University and a Chinese foreign policy expert, criticized the recent significant decline in the quality of the U.S. partisan system. Jin recalled, "In the past, most members of both parties were moderates, which allowed the system to function," and "Although views differed, they were not extreme and cooperated on many issues."

He added, "Now, Congress moves along partisan lines on almost every issue, and this politics is becoming increasingly intense," diagnosing, "It has become extreme and reckless, and the space for moderates is shrinking." He also noted, "The wealth gap in the U.S. is widening, the middle class is shrinking, and social polarization is very severe," adding, "Social conflicts in specific forms such as immigration and economic policies are highly confrontational."

Meanwhile, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Chinese President Xi Jinping conveyed his condolences to former President Trump regarding this incident.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.