Li YuanVerified account

In the 40 years since the end of the Cultural Revolution, the Chinese Communist Party has largely been a reluctant reformer, often pushed and lured by internal and external forces.

These people grew increasingly uneasy about President Xi's almost absolute power and couldn't see any internal force that could make him rethink where he was taking China to. Then they saw how Trump was able to get some of his way with the trade war. They saw a glimpse of hope.

Some of the business people aren't necessarily fans of Trump. They joke about "Only Trump can save China" because they want a free ride if a trade deal can help curtail the role of the government in the Chinese economy.

But it doesn’t necessarily mean they like the other aspects of the U.S. policies toward China, including how the U.S. is trying to block the other countries from adopting Huawei-developed 5G networks.

Then there's the dissidents and liberal thinkers community (liberal in terms of classical liberalism). Many of them have seen the United States as the shining city on a hill, a beacon of freedom and human dignity since their youth in the 1980s.

They were disappointed that the previous U.S. presidents were too weak on China. They saw a game changer in Trump's tough rhetorics towards China and his subsequent trade war.

I've known some of these people for years. Trump is as much a polarizing topic on the dinner tables in this circle as in many American communities.

It felt surreal at times while listening to these graying men and women who have all the courage in the world to stand up to the powerful CCP - a few went to jail for their ideals - went on and on about how Trump could help change China or even save the western civilization