In the upheaval of President Donald Trump’s blanket tariffs, China is seeking common cause with jilted partners of the United States as it tries to extend its influence and take center stage in a new trade order — rebuilt without Washington.
Get concise answers to your questions. Try Ask The Post AI.
China had already been working to exploit cracks in international leadership created by Trump’s “America First” foreign policy. As the United States has slashed development aid, abandoned climate talks and temporarily suspended military assistance to Ukraine, Beijing has ramped up its own alternative vision on each issue.
Trump’s emerging global trade war gives Chinese leader Xi Jinping an additional lever to build influence.
Skip to end of carousel
End of carousel
“Beijing is stepping up efforts to court U.S. allies and partners who remain stunned and disappointed by the new U.S. tariff hikes aimed at them,” said Wendy Cutler, vice president at the Asia Society Policy Institute and a former U.S. trade negotiator.
Advertisement
ADVERTISING
Trump this week imposed “reciprocal” tariffs of between 10 and 49 percent on almost all other trading partners.
Follow Trump’s first 100 Days
But China, which ran a trade surplus with the U.S. approaching $1 trillion last year, was hit particularly hard: From April 9, its exports to the United States will be hit with a minimum tariff rate of 54 percent.
China, the world’s second-largest economy, announced 34 percent tariffs Friday on all U.S. goods, along with restrictions on exports of rare earth metals used to make high-tech products, along with a slew of other measures targeting American companies.
Even before Trump’s announcement, Beijing had been making overtures to other countries in a charm offensive fueled by his return to the White House.
Advertisement
In calls and meetings with officials from the European Union, South Korea and Japan in recent weeks, high-ranking Chinese officials have offered to join forces to resist Trump’s protectionism and “bring certainty to global trade.”
Get concise answers to your questions. Try Ask The Post AI.China had already been working to exploit cracks in international leadership created by Trump’s “America First” foreign policy. As the United States has slashed development aid, abandoned climate talks and temporarily suspended military assistance to Ukraine, Beijing has ramped up its own alternative vision on each issue.
Trump’s emerging global trade war gives Chinese leader Xi Jinping an additional lever to build influence.
Skip to end of carousel
Trump presidency
End of carousel
“Beijing is stepping up efforts to court U.S. allies and partners who remain stunned and disappointed by the new U.S. tariff hikes aimed at them,” said Wendy Cutler, vice president at the Asia Society Policy Institute and a former U.S. trade negotiator.
Advertisement
ADVERTISING
Trump this week imposed “reciprocal” tariffs of between 10 and 49 percent on almost all other trading partners.
Follow Trump’s first 100 Days
But China, which ran a trade surplus with the U.S. approaching $1 trillion last year, was hit particularly hard: From April 9, its exports to the United States will be hit with a minimum tariff rate of 54 percent.
China, the world’s second-largest economy, announced 34 percent tariffs Friday on all U.S. goods, along with restrictions on exports of rare earth metals used to make high-tech products, along with a slew of other measures targeting American companies.
Even before Trump’s announcement, Beijing had been making overtures to other countries in a charm offensive fueled by his return to the White House.
Advertisement
In calls and meetings with officials from the European Union, South Korea and Japan in recent weeks, high-ranking Chinese officials have offered to join forces to resist Trump’s protectionism and “bring certainty to global trade.”
