US President Donald Trump stands with US first lady Melania Trump as they leave the US Capitol building on the inauguration day of Donald Trump’s second presidential term in Washington, United States. Photo: Reuters1. Trump signs executive order delaying TikTok ban, threatens tariffs
On his first day in office, US President Donald Trump followed through on his campaign promise to delay a controversial TikTok divest-or-ban law by signing an executive order, warning that he would impose significant tariffs on China if Beijing failed to approve a deal regarding the app.
The executive order effectively buys time – 75 days – for the administration to explore alternative solutions to address the app’s data privacy concerns without resorting to an outright ban.
It also opens the door for further negotiations with ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese parent company, in hopes of finding a resolution that satisfies national security requirements.
Donald Trump wins the 2024 US presidential election, making his way back to the White House
2. Immigration crackdown and Paris Agreement pull-out among first acts of second Trump term
On Monday, US President Donald Trump also began issuing a slew of expected executive orders on immigration, energy and other issues, moving swiftly on some of his campaign pledges mere hours after being sworn in for a second term.
Among the numerous expected orders on immigration, Trump is ending the Joe Biden administration’s “catch-and-release” policy – that allowed migrants into the community while they await court hearings – and reinstating the “remain-in-Mexico” policy that requires asylum seekers to live in northern Mexico during their US court proceedings.
Trump also issued an order pulling the US out of the Paris Climate Agreement for the second time. He is expected to declare an “energy emergency” to boost fossil fuels, devastating the effort to keep global temperatures from rising.
Deep Dive: Undocumented Chinese migrants in the US fear Donald Trump’s deportation threats
3. Trump goes light on China on Day 1, except when it comes to the Panama Canal
China got only one mention in US President Donald Trump’s inaugural address, but the comment was threatening – especially to a country much closer to America. Donald Trump vowed his administration would “take back” the Panama Canal.
Trump asserted that Panama – the country the Central American waterway runs through – violated the treaty that transferred the Panama Canal to it, suggesting that China’s operations in the canal constituted a degree of ownership.
Deep Dive: China prepares for possible tariff hike under Donald Trump
4. Initial reaction to Trump muted from China, but space competition could escalate
The initial reaction to US President Donald Trump’s inauguration speech was fairly muted in China. However, his pledge to plant the American flag on Mars is likely to escalate the space race between the two powers.
In his address, Trump also warned generally of tariffs and the need to protect American workers, a line of attack that usually involves China. But he did so without mentioning the country or any specifics on punishing imposed tax as he had often done during his election campaign.
Later, between signing executive orders in the White House, Trump did not respond to a media question about when he plans to impose tariffs on Chinese products – potentially between 10 and 60 per cent.