What does a Trump Administration Mean for China？

文星++張苧月

【Abstract】With a relatively short inauguration speech reportedly self-written， Donald Trump， now the 45th President of the United States， again proved his aspiration for achieving what is regularly unachievable. It is hoped to establish a functional partner relationship between China and USA in the future.

【Key words】America First； Trump Administration； Uncertainty； Dramatic changes； Functional partner

Main Body

Donald Trump was sworn in as the 45th president of the United States of America on January 20， 2017. He made an impressive inaugauration speech with his unique persona， which has been drawing mixed and complicated reactions domestically and globally.

In presence of three of the four living former presidents， the new president launched a sweeping criticism of the countrys domestic and foreign policies over the past decades. He blasted at past policies as failures while describing the scourge of drugs， crime， poverty and unemployment as “the American carnage.” He noted that the transfer of power is “not merely transferring power from one administration to another or from one party to another， ” but wrestling power from Washington DC and giving it “back to you， the people.”

Although more carefully phrased， Mr. Trumps inauguration speech did not steer away from his campaign rhetoric， focusing on criticizing the “Washington establishment.” He is indeed different， in many aspects， from most of his predecessors.

First of all， President Trump seemed less than gracious to ignore how his predecessors and the political dignitaries attending his inauguration might feel insulted by his blunt criticism. Nor did he seem to care about the anxiety of Congressional representatives who boycotted his swear-in ceremony.

Mr. Trump indicates that dramatic changes lie ahead for the countrys domestic political structure and the global economic order. Some Chinese Internet users even mocked Mr. Trumps version of dramatic changes as a possible US version of the “Cultural Revolution.” However， the measures that will be required to achieve the new presidents goals have yet to be divulged. With the tremendous balance of power in the US government， it will be interesting to witness if his unique personality and determination will help him turn his goals into reality.

Unlike his predecessors， President Trump did not strike a conciliatory tone to help unite a nation divided by the recent presidential election. Instead， he chose to enjoy his role as the champion of the underdogs， eager to lead them in their fight against Washington elites. The working class goals he has set and his appointments of successful business leaders to his cabinet could prove to be contradictory. His cabinet of billionaires really needs to reach out to ordinary people to better understand their needs.

On the world stage， Mr. Trump will likely align his foreign policy with US corporate interests， blurring the lines of ideology or political values. Frictions between the US and its allies， and trade tensions between the US and China seem inevitable within the four years ahead.

As an unconventional Donald Trump presidency becomes official on Friday， China is preparing for a bumpy ride ahead in its relations with the US， experts said. After Trump takes office as the 45th US president， China-US relations will possibly first see a notable decline before experiencing a slight recovery.

“Conflict is inevitable； the key is to keep the conflict within a tolerable range and not to impinge on important common interests of the two countries， ” an expert told the Global Times， adding that China has long been preparing for difficult issues involving China-US bilateral relations.

China is fully prepared to face uncertainties in bilateral relations， both psychologically and economically， said a professor with the Southeast Asian Institute of Jinan University.

President-elect Trump made a protocol-breaking phone call with Taiwan leader Tsai Ing-wen， and also said on Twitter and to the media that “everything is under negotiation including one China.” His provocative behavior immediately provoked an outcry from Chinas Ministry of Foreign Affairs， which stated the one-China policy is the political foundation of bilateral ties and “non-negotiable.”

The Chinese public has reacted calmly， both online and offline， to Trumps remarks over China， but has followed the political and social scenarios surrounding Trump like a TV drama.

References：

[1]Global Times Published：2017/1/21，1-2.

[2]Global Times Published：2017/1/20，1-2.

[3]Zhang Mingliang，Southeast Asian Institute of Jinan University，China Daily，2017/1/20，1-2.