We’re witnessing the education of Donald Trump on China. It is sometimes ugly, often embarrassing, and rich in historical parallels. Still, Trump has identified an essential truth in the relationship: When it comes to U.S.-China business, trade policies, and even geopolitics, the Chinese system seems to be working better for China than the American system is working for America right now. The question is does Trump and his team have the skill to remedy this situation.

John Pomfret is an award-winning journalist and writer, and the author of the best-selling Chinese Lessons: Five Classmates and the Story of the New China. He first went to study in China in 1980 and has spent 20 years living in China as a correspondent and writer. His most recent book is titled The Beautiful Country and the Middle Kingdom: America and China, 1776 to the Present (2016).