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Home / China / Trump should stay the course on China
China, Asia, China‑Taiwan

October 27, 2025

Trump should stay the course on China

By Jennifer Kavanagh

U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping will (probably) finally meet in person later this month at a major multilateral summit in South Korea. The announcement is profoundly good news for those concerned about the teetering global economy and the future of international security.
Predictions that the second Trump term would catalyze a “New Cold War” have thankfully not come to fruition. Instead, Trump has shown signs of embracing a new realism when it comes to China. Yet many in Washington still seem determined to provoke Beijing. Thus far, Trump’s approach has resisted conciliatory or inflammatory extremes.
As part of his new approach, Trump has seemingly found a compromise on the complex TikTok issue. He’s also seen the wisdom of allowing Chinese students into the U.S. to help American universities flourish.
More importantly, he has eased the threat of tariffs on Chinese goods to a manageable level, at least for now. That’s vital given the reality of mutual economic dependence in the U.S.-China relationship.

Read at Nikkei Asian Review

Author

Jennifer
Kavanagh

Senior Fellow & Director of Military Analysis

Defense Priorities

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