China, US partners are moving closer as Trump returns to White House

Beijing, Jan. 23: China's relations are starting to improve with Japan, India and other countries that former U.S. President Joe Biden courted, just as Donald Trump brings his more unilateralist approach back to the White House.

The change of leadership in Washington on Monday could be an opportunity for China, which has long railed against Biden's strategy of building partnerships with “like-minded countries” to counter its growing influence.

Biden reinvigorated a grouping known as the Quad — the United States, India, Japan and Australia. China's relations with all three of those U.S. partners are improving, as are its ties with Britain. The durability of Biden’s legacy is now in question. During his first term, Trump didn’t hesitate to challenge traditional U.S. partners.

“It is possible that Trump may drift away from U.S. allies, making them pay more attention to China’s role, and in fact it has provided a chance for China’s diplomacy,” said Wu Xinbo, dean of the Institute of International Studies at Fudan University in Shanghai. “I think we should grasp the chance.”

But U.S. National Security Council spokesperson Brian Hughes said that Trump “has a record of rallying the world toward a more competitive stance with China.” Trump agreed to a Free and Open Indo-Pacific strategy that Japan introduced during his first term and he backed excluding Chinese companies from telecom networks in the U.S. and many of its partners.

On Tuesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio — hours after he was sworn in — met with the foreign ministers of Australia, India and Japan in Washington, a move that suggested engaging the Quad countries and countering China’s influence will remain a priority for Trump.

Beijing's rapprochement with the U.K. and Japan is in its early stages, and major differences remain that limit and could derail it.

India turned the page with China on a bitter border dispute last October, but protested when Beijing created two new counties in an area claimed by both nations.

Still, new leaders in Australia, the U.K. and Japan have shown a desire to warm relations with China, the world's largest manufacturer and a source of strategic minerals. The government in Beijing has reciprocated in part because it wants foreign investment to help revive its economy, which could be set back if Trump follows through on a threat to impose higher tariffs.

Chinese President Xi Jinping told European Council President Antonio Costa in a phone conversation last week that both sides could bring more “stability and certainty” to the turbulent global situation. China and Britain restarted economic and financial talks after a six-year hiatus when the U.K. Treasury chief visited Beijing this month.

“From China’s point of view, improving relations with American allies and increasing economic cooperation will offset the shock to China-U.S. economic relations,” Wu said.

In Washington, there’s a strong bipartisan consensus that the U.S. must prevail in its economic and tech rivalry with China to maintain its global leadership.

During his confirmation hearing, Rubio called China “the most potent and dangerous near-peer adversary this nation has ever confronted.” Biden kept the tariffs Trump levied on China and imposed more on Chinese electric cars and solar cells. (AP)