Is Trump’s win the start of a free fall in China-US ties – and is there time to stop it?
The next US president could usher in a period of trade turbulence but there could be ways out for the two countries, analysts say
His previous term was marked by a bitter trade battle, but Trump offered mixed signals on the campaign trail – at times touting his “very strong relations” with Chinese President Xi Jinping and, at others, threatening tariffs of up to 60 per cent on Chinese goods.
Sun Chenghao, a fellow at Tsinghua University’s Centre for International Security and Strategy (CISS), said US-China ties might face “greater challenges” in the first half of the term as parties adjusted to the administration change, before they gradually stabilised.
Sun said that while the trajectory of ties would hinge on who Trump picked for his team, reports suggested that the potential candidates who were likely to shape the new administration’s China policy seemed “relatively tough” on China.
Part of the challenge also stemmed from Trump’s lack of desire to maintain communication with China, he said, noting that the channels left open during the president-elect’s previous administration were mostly linked to the economy and trade.
“Overall, I think there will be challenges for communication between China and the United States,” he said.
