What Trump's election win means for U.S.-China ties on Taiwan, trade and tech
Former President Donald Trump's election win over Kamala Harris could increase tensions with China over trade tariffs, Taiwan, technology and more.
HONG KONG — We must find a way to “get along,” Chinese President Xi Jinping told President-elect Donald Trump in a congratulatory message Thursday — an immediate nod to the long-frayed relations between the rival superpowers as well as the disruption Trump’s return to the White House might bring.
Trump could inject new levels of volatility into what is often described as the world’s most important bilateral relationship, after an election win that comes at a critical moment for the globe’s two largest economies.
Ties have been at their lowest point in decades amid disputes over trade, technology, Taiwan and Chinese aggression in the South China Sea. But since last year, the Biden administration has taken steps to improve communication and cooperation with Beijing, which is one of Washington’s largest trading partners but is also seen as its main long-term strategic adversary.
In addition to the consequences for the global economy, an increase in U.S.-China tensions would have far-reaching implications for U.S. allies in the Asia-Pacific region such as South Korea, Japan and Australia.
Xi was among the many world leaders who quickly congratulated Trump, saying the U.S. and China “will both benefit from cooperation and lose from confrontation,” Xinhua, China’s state-run news agency, reported Thursday.
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