Donald Trump has a knack of antagonising and confusing China. During his first presidential campaign, he accused China of “raping” the US through unfair trade practices. But later in his first term as US president, Trump also called Chinese president Xi Jinping a “good friend”.
Throughout the 2024 presidential campaign Trump suggested he would be tough on China in a second term, and days away from becoming president nothing looks likely to change.
Trump has suggested he could raise tariffs on all Chinese goods up to 60%, and is likely to appoint Marco Rubio as secretary of state and Mark Waltz as national security adviser. Both are “China hawks” who believe that Washington should toughen its stance against Beijing, and view China as a national security threat to the US.
