Trump has 1.3 billion reasons not to pick a fight with China

Hong Kong

US President Donald Trump has repeatedly attacked China on everything from trade to Taiwan to pressure his counterpart Xi Jinping to cede ground. In doing so, he risks a backlash that could make doing deals even harder.

China has a population of 1.3 billion, and its dominant state-run media seeks to burnish the image of the Communist Party. In that environment, Mr Trump's hectoring could stoke nationalism in a year where China's leaders are already working hard to instill public pride and stress unity.

If Mr Trump's rhetorical blasts fan Chinese patriotism, it could give Mr Xi less room to negotiate without appearing weak at home, raising …