by Steven Richards
The American president has prioritized ironing out a stable trade relationship with the world’s second-largest economy, but experts warn of China’s spotty history of following through.
President Donald Trump’s first visit to China during his second term marks a shift in tone, moving from "competition" toward "strategic stability"—a framework that prioritizes trade cooperation and downplays confrontation. The American president also appeared to soften U.S. support for Taiwan, stalling a planned arms sale to use as a bargaining chip in negotiations with the Chinese.
President Trump has indicated that he views a stable relationship with China during his second term as of the utmost importance and has prioritized ironing out a stable, but fair, trade relationship.
“[Xi] wants to make good deals, but having a good relationship is a good thing, not a bad, I explained to people,” President Trump said in an interview following the conclusion of his meeting with the Chinese president.
“You know, it's great when you have good relationships with very powerful countries, and powerful economically as well, as we have the most. I built in my first term the greatest military in the world,” he added.
After rhetorical shift, greater trade outcomes foreseen
President Trump’s visit to Beijing last week consummated the rhetorical policy shift from his first administration. In the Trump National Defense Strategy released early this year, the Pentagon placed defending the homeland as the War Department's number one priority, overtaking the Indo-Pacific region and China.
The policy language on China also directly shifted, outlining a strategy to prioritize China “through strength, not confrontation,” Just the News previously reported. There are early promises that this new approach has achieved greater cooperation on trade, following the meeting and after a bruising trade war that began last year with President Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs and escalated with Chinese export controls of vital rare earth minerals. The tariffs, imposed under emergency authority, were later struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court.
China confirmed this weekend that the two sides agreed to establish new trade and investment boards, one of the desired outcomes that President Trump announced after the visit. The summit also produced several specific commercial commitments, including China agreeing to purchase 200 Boeing jets, though this figure is fewer than expected.
The U.S. also announced that China would buy at least $17 billion in U.S. agricultural products annually, in addition to the commitments it had already made to purchase American soybeans.
Additionally, a White House readout indicated that both sides agreed the Strait of Hormuz must remain open for the free flow of energy, and President Xi expressed interest in purchasing more American oil. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also noted that the countries planned to discuss the issue of AI safety in the future.
“I think the President accomplished what he wanted to do to improve relations, great business opportunities, job opportunities. I hope he gets all the deliverables that China promised, but as you said, China has a record of not following through on things that they promise at these meetings. I think the US is going to have made clear that we expect it to come through on these things,” Fred Fleitz, the chief of staff of Trump’s National Security Council during his first term, told the John Solomon Reports podcast.
Chinese ownership of American farmland
However, the American president appeared to cede ground on other issues, some that were a hallmark of his first administration or his 2024 campaign. For example, following the meeting, Trump defended Chinese ownership of American farmland, which he had condemned, and vowed to stop, during his 2024 campaign.
“Look, it’s not that I love it. You want to see farm prices drop. You want to see farmers lose a lot of money, just take that out of the market. But they’ve had a lot of land for a long time. Obama did nothing about it. They bought a lot during the Obama Administration, and he did nothing about it,” Trump told Fox News’ Sean Hannity last week.
However, during the 2024 campaign, Trump said that Chinese nationals “can’t do it.”
“We don’t want you buying our land. We don’t want you taking the land off the market…” then-candidate Trump said. “They’re buying at levels nobody’s ever seen before.”
Michael Sobolik, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, says that the president’s shift from considering China as an adversary is a divergence from the views of his ‘Make America Great Again’ base.
“Most polling reflects self-identified MAGA conservatives aren't too worried about diplomatic niceties with the CCP. They overwhelmingly view Beijing as an adversary and support decoupling measures,” Sobolik told TIME.
“President Trump seems to dismiss concerns about Beijing's farmland ownership in America on grounds that both America and China find ways to spy on each other. That's true, but it doesn't remove the need to protect the homeland from threats,” he said.
Placed a hold on a $14 billion weapons package for Taiwan
President Trump also appeared to soften his administration’s policy on Taiwan, the self-governing island that China claims as its own territory. For the first time, a U.S. president linked arms sales to the island to a broader understanding with Beijing, something prior occupants of the office have declined to do.
Before his trip to meet with Xi, Trump placed a hold on a $14 billion weapons package for Taiwan that would bolster the island’s defenses against a possible Chinese attack.
When asked why he halted the transfer, Trump said: "I’m holding that in abeyance, and it depends on China. It’s a very good negotiating chip for us, frankly. It’s a lot of weapons."
Trump also suggested a reluctance on his part for the United States to be involved with defending Taiwan if China were ever to assert its claims.
This is another area in which the president seems to depart from the opinions of his base. Recent polling shows that self-described MAGA Republicans favor a U.S. military intervention to defend Taiwan if China attacks.
“President Trump has been tougher on China than anyone, including by imposing tariffs to level the playing field for American farmers, manufacturers, and working families. At the same time, it is beneficial for the United States to have a cooperative relationship with the world’s second largest economy," a White House official told Just the News. "The President was proud to bring home a number of deliverables for the American people from Beijing – including new Boards of Trade and Investment to ensure our country is no longer ripped off by unfair trading practices, expanded market access for farmers and ranchers, and massive aerospace deals that will bring jobs back to our country.”
During the summit in Beijing, Xi reportedly told Trump that Taiwan is "the most important issue" between the U.S. and China and warned that a failure to properly handle it could lead to conflict between the two powers.
Despite holding up the weapons package, Trump said that he "made no commitment either way,” regarding Taiwan’s status, according to the Chinese. This would align with longstanding U.S. policy of “strategic ambiguity" toward the island democracy’s status.
Fleitz told Just the News that President Trump really did not give any ground on Taiwan.
“I think it is Trump that came in with the cards, demonstrated American leadership, and frankly, he didn't give Xi anything on Taiwan, despite all the direct and indirect claims,” Fleitz said. “This is a red line and a direct threat to international relations. If Trump doesn't bend, he didn't bend, he didn't change our position on Taiwan at all.”
Trump administration officials also believe that Trump has maintained the consistent U.S. policy on Taiwan. U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer on Sunday clarified Trump’s comments on the arms package, insisting that there has been “no change” to the United States’ policy on Taiwan.
“The president’s very focused on making sure that nothing happens there,” Greer told ABC’s This Week. “This is why, when he talked to the media afterward, he said, ‘I made no commitments to President Xi on Taiwan’ and the president will keep his own counsel on the sales and when and if that happens.”
Greer added, “The reality is, it’s really important for the United States and China to have a stable relationship. These are two important economies. The issue of Taiwan arms sales is something the Chinese always raise. So, the president’s considering how to approach that.”
Steven Richards
Source: https://justthenews.com/government/diplomacy/trump-pursues-strategic-stability-china-downplays-conflicts-over-taiwan-and
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