IF XI IS ANGERED, I’M PRETTY SURE IT MUST HAVE BEEN A WIN: China’s Xi Is Angered by Panama Port Deal That Trump Touted as a Win.

The Xi leadership had originally planned to use the Panama port issue as a bargaining chip in negotiations with the Trump administration, according to people close to Beijing’s decision-making, only to see the rug pulled out from under it.

President Trump, who in the first minutes of his administration called for the U.S. to reassert control over the canal, celebrated the deal as a victory over Chinese interests in America’s backyard, turning Panama into a symbol of the U.S.-China battle for global influence.

Xi’s unhappiness suggests he, too, sees the canal that way and doesn’t like to be painted as the loser.

Exit quote: “Despite Beijing’s unhappiness, it doesn’t have a simple way to halt the deal. The assets to be sold are all outside mainland China and Hong Kong, and the parties to the transaction have expressed confidence that it can be completed.”

It certainly does look like a win.