The US approach to China appears to be changing, but is it just a gap in the long, hard-fought match between two economic enemies, or does it mean a change in approach that could pave the way for cooperation?
On the day he took office as president of the USA, this Monday, Donald Trump did what he had promised during his campaign period: he withdrew from the World Health Organization, the Paris agreements and declared a trade war on Canada. and Mexico, promising them customs duties of 25%.
And China, so threatened by the new North American president, is not anything new. Soon after taking office, Trump mentioned China and its already expressed intention to apply customs duties (it is now talking about 10%), but it postponed this topic until the beginning of February.
Trump had promised to impose heavy customs duties on the country (a figure of 60% or more). But the two countries, historical enemies, seem to still be in “honeymoon phase”as classified .
On Thursday night, Trump mentioned that the two countries had a “very good relationship” before the pandemic. “They are a very ambitious country, Xi Jinping is an ambitious man… He was like my friendwe had a very good relationship”, quoted .
Is Trump missing the good old days? But what times? It is difficult to understand what the US president is talking about, who already in his first term imposed heavy customs duties on Xi’s country, as part of a set of protectionist policies.
“We have a very big power over China, which is tariffs, and they don’t want them,” Trump continued. “And me I’d rather not have to use it. But it is a tremendous power over China.”
As for the Chinese, he remains on guard. Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning stressed that the economic and commercial cooperation between the two countries is “mutually beneficial and advantageous for all”. He also mentioned that there is a “huge space” for understanding between the two countries.
“There are no winners in the trade wars and in tariff wars, which are not in the interest of either party and are not in the interest of the world”, concluded the Chinese representative.
Another sign of Trump’s “benevolence” was the 75-day postponement of the end of TikTok in the US, pending a non-Chinese buyer of the social network. But are these measures a setback to the US president’s threats, or is it just a period of reflection?
“China realizes that there is an opportunity to negotiate with Trump”, the political academic explains to CNN Liu Dongshu. “And a better U.S.-China relationship is more important to China than it is to the United States…so China is eager” to get involved.
“China has realized that it is possible to negotiate with Trump, but he is a Trump different and new — what we committed to last time may not satisfy your new desires,” said the foreign business analyst, Shen Dingli.
“Instead of adopting a general veto on all US proposals, China should “analyze which issues require opposition and which can be the subject of cooperation based on our own interests”, a Chinese analyst had already suggested, Jia Qinggu.
According to experts, a potential trip by Trump to Beijing could mean an opening to negotiations. But, be that as it may, the expert warns Jin Canrong, “This does not mean that relations between China and the US are easier, just that the US approach has changed.”
