{"id":15205,"date":"2025-01-22T12:30:00","date_gmt":"2025-01-22T12:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/focus.cbbc.org\/?p=15205"},"modified":"2025-04-23T08:52:56","modified_gmt":"2025-04-23T08:52:56","slug":"what-trumps-second-term-means-for-china","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/focus.cbbc.org\/what-trumps-second-term-means-for-china\/","title":{"rendered":"What Trump\u2019s Second Term Means for China"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The eyes of the world are on Donald Trump as he begins his second term as President of the United States, including in China’s. The multifaceted and increasingly tense US-China relationship will be a challenge for Trump, and the next four years will undoubtedly shape the trajectory of both countries on the global stage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From evolving trade policies to technological decoupling, this article gives a brief overview of what we know so far about what Trump 2.0 means for China.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Whither the US-China trade war<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

A defining feature of Trump\u2019s first term was the US-China trade war, characterised by tariffs on hundreds of billions of dollars in Chinese goods. While no immediate tariffs were announced in Trump\u2019s first day in office, a trade memo directed the government to scrutinise US trading relationships and evaluate China\u2019s compliance with the 2020 US-China Economic and Trade Agreement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There were some signs of d\u00e9tente in the form of a meeting between Elon Musk and Chinese Vice President Han Zheng just before the inauguration, where Han reportedly invited US firms including Tesla to deepen investments in China and Musk reaffirmed Tesla\u2019s commitment to expanding cooperation with China.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nonetheless, this measured start is unlikely to extend into the long term. Trump\u2019s approach to trade will focus on securing tangible, short-term wins for the US, often without regard for broader strategic consequences. Moreover, China is in a weaker economic position than it was during the opening salvo of the trade war, as it faces a sticky real estate crisis, rising youth unemployment and depressed consumer confidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n