Donald Trump’s tough China policy

Donald Trump is set to return to the White House as America’s 47th President. Every major diplomatic capital in the world is trying to work out what a second Trump administration will mean for it. China, in particular, will be anxious. In the past, Trump has taken a hawkish view on China. As President, he started a trade war with China, revived groupings like the Quad and placed increased diplomatic pressure on Beijing. On the campaign trail, Trump promised high tariffs and a tough line on China. His new administration will be staffed by prominent China hawks like Senator Marco Rubio. The world will watch US-China relations under Trump closely – precisely because economic or military conflict between the two countries could be disastrous for the world.

India Today Global sat down with veteran diplomat Susan Thornton to understand Donald Trump’s approach to China. Until July 2018, Thornton was a senior official handling America’s relations with East Asia and China. She also has three decades of experience in American diplomatic missions across the world – and particularly in Asia. Thornton says she expects a tougher and more negative atmosphere surrounding US-China relations under a second Trump Administration. She added that Beijing expects an escalation in trade friction with the United States. However, Thornton points out the consensus view that the first trade war between the two superpowers in Trump’s first term did not achieve much.

On broader strategic questions, Trump is likely to continue some elements of the Biden Administration’s policy on key regional flashpoints like Taiwan. Thornton says that Trump has been unclear on his support for Taiwan in the past and has more sensitivity to what the island means to China, which claims the island as part of its territory. Thornton also pointed out that a pivot to Asia away from Europe and the Middle East will be complicated to execute given existing American commitments in the region.

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