President Donald Trump's tough talk on North Korea and China has set back China's efforts at dominance in the region, The Washington Free Beacon senior editor Bill Gertz told Newsmax TV.
China's recent threats about the increased military presence in the region is mostly posturing, Gertz told "America Talks Live" host Bill Tucker on Wednesday.
But, he added, "Trump has really caught them off guard and put them off balance. He is unpredictable, and for the Chinese, that is what they fear most: anyone that's unpredictable."
See Bill Tucker on Newsmax TV: Tune in beginning at 12 PM ET to "America Talks Live" — on FiOS 615, YouTube Livestream, Newsmax TV App from any smartphone, NewsmaxTV.com, Roku, Amazon Fire — More Systems Here
Trump's move to fire missiles at a Syrian airbase while dining at his Mar-a-Lago estate with Chinese President Xi Jinping was one of Trump's "master strokes," he said. "It was clearly a signal."
Trump can also use "secondary sanctions" on Chinese and Russian companies that supply components to North Korea's missiles in his effort to tamp down the threat of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
"Trump has set back eight years of Chinese efforts to achieve hegemony over all of Asia basically, especially in the South China Sea, East China Sea, and then northeast Asia," Gertz said.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.