On the bilateral front, a trade war between China and the United States seems likely under Mr. In doing so, Beijing could greatly reduce America’s soft-power advantage.
By adopting a more open policy toward immigrants - including the creation of a path to citizenship for some categories of immigrants - China could expand its economy while improving its moral standing globally. Trump’s antidemocratic tendencies in the domestic arena, along with his threats to build a wall across America’s border with Mexico, offer another opportunity for China in immigration policy.Īn illiberal turn in the United States could drive talented Americans to seek careers abroad, while skilled workers the world over may start looking somewhere other than the United States to make a better life. If China were to form meaningful bilateral military pacts with Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia and especially the Philippines, America would have more difficulty joining a potential war in the Taiwan Strait - a very real possibility given Mr. China has so-called strategic partnerships with most of its neighbors, but only Pakistan is a traditional military ally. As the Trump administration signals it may ignore Beijing’s One-China policy and treat Taiwan as an independent country, potentially upending the bedrock of American-Chinese relations since 1979, Beijing should establish military alliances with as many neighbors as possible. The Chinese leadership should also end its long-held policy of avoiding formal alliances. Japan is reluctant to become part of a trade group that includes China, so Beijing should leave Tokyo behind. China is party to a free-trade agreement with Southeast Asian nations, and Beijing should encourage South Korea and Australia to join that pact. Trump’s scrapping of the Trans-Pacific Partnership is a chance for Beijing to strengthen its position as the economic leader of East Asia by bolstering regional trade. China has a chance to become a full-fledged superpower if it responds to the Trump presidency by opening up more to the world economically and politically. Trump’s postelection telephone chat with the leader of Taiwan, Tsai Ing-wen, a major break with diplomatic protocol, we can expect a jolt to United States-China relations.īut while a trade war, military skirmishes in the South China Sea or Taiwan Strait, or other diplomatic crises could cause a hiccup in China’s rise, the Trump era will offer plenty of opportunities for Beijing. Trump’s move on Monday to abandon the Trans-Pacific Partnership - an Obama administration trade proposal meant to strengthen America’s economic power at China’s expense - leaves little doubt that the president will follow through with his campaign promises to upend American trade policies, including those toward China. But the triumph of one country is built on the failure of the other. Xi’s motto is “Great Rejuvenation of the Chinese Nation.” The phrases have the same meaning: Each leader suggests his country has declined and claims that he will restore it to the top position in the world. Trump’s slogan is to “Make America Great Again,” while Mr. BEIJING - President Trump and the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, are in a bind.