Opinion | How China is turning risks of Trump 2.0 into world of opportunities
Reducing dependence on the West is just a start. Beijing is building a system of influence anchored by partnerships and backed by industrial and tech prowess
Six months into Donald Trump’s second term as president of the United States, the global order has entered a period of renewed volatility. This is not a return to the past, but the acceleration of a multipolar world marked by recalibrated alliances, fractured supply chains and shifting development models.
For China, the question is not simply how it will respond to a more transactional, less predictable US, but also how it will recalibrate its external partnerships, internal growth model and strategic positioning in a world where power is increasingly diffused and contested.
Trump’s foreign policy, both in his first term and again now, is rooted in a familiar pattern of “fight and talk, talk and fight”. It is a mode of diplomacy defined not by long-term strategic coherence, but by episodic negotiation driven by leverage and short-term gain. In this framework, agreements are provisional. Commitments are subject to renegotiation. US-China relations under Trump 2.0 are thus likely to remain turbulent, characterised by pressure, friction and tactical pauses rather than resolution.
China’s most strategic recalibration is occurring across the Global South. These regions are not rejecting the West, but they are unwilling to be bound to it. Many countries are choosing pragmatism over allegiance.
China has responded by positioning itself as an alternative development partner. It offers infrastructure, digital platforms, and financing with fewer conditions and often with greater speed. It projects an ethos of mutual respect and non-interference that resonates with governments weary of ideological litmus tests.