Chinese authorities are worried about the appointment of politicians who are negative towards Beijing, in key positions in the future administration of the newly elected US President Donald Trump. Against this background, China is seeking to establish contacts with the future US leadership to avoid a possible trade confrontation. This was reported by the newspaper Financial Times (FT) with reference to sources.
According to them, Beijing is looking for stability in relations with Washington and wants to avoid a new trade war. In this regard, the PRC also intends to restore ties with representatives of Trump's former team who were part of his administration during his first presidential term in 2016-2020. However, the publication notes that pending his return to the White House , Trump has appointed anti-China politicians to key roles, including Rep. Mike Walz, who will become national security assistant, as well as Marco Rubio, the incoming secretary of state.
As previously reported, Trump also wants to put Robert Lighthizer, a supporter of the trade war with China, back in the White House. After he takes office in January, the US president-elect could appoint him as a representative in trade negotiations. Against this background, it was noted that Lighthizer was one of the initiators of the trade war against China launched by the first Trump administration. The United States imposed tariffs on Chinese goods and forced Beijing in 2020 to sign an agreement with Washington to increase purchases of American goods and services by USD 200 billion over two years.
Trump, who won the US presidential election on November 5, proposed in his campaign program the introduction of tariffs on imports from China of 60%.
Over the past few years, Sino-US relations have become more strained, affecting trade between the two countries. In 2022, their trade turnover reached 759.4 billion USD, an increase of only 0.6%. In 2023, it decreases by 11.6% and amounts to 664.45 billion USD.