Between the lines of Xi's visit

Deeper engagement: Anwar and Xi shake hands after exchanging MOU documents at Kompleks Seri Perdana in Putrajaya. – AZHAR MAHFOF/The Star

ON the eve of President Xi Jinping’s arrival in Kuala Lumpur, Donald Trump had a message for Vietnam, where Xi had just concluded a visit: “They’re probably trying to screw the United States.”

It was as fashionably boorish as it was predictably accusatory. Yet, in its own capricious way, the remark captured a broader truth: The geopolitical contest between the United States and China has become more intense, more zero-sum, and more difficult for others to navigate.