Even before Mr. Trump won the US presidential election, China had made many preparations for a new trade war with the US.
China is said to have prepared in advance for the Trump 2.0 trade war - Photo: REUTERS
During US President Donald Trump's first term, China's decision to respond strongly plunged the two countries into a fierce trade war.
This time, experts say Washington will face a very different opponent, as Beijing has been prepared and changed its response strategy since before Trump took office.
Prepare early
Even before the US presidential election, China has rapidly changed its trade and foreign policy direction.
First, Beijing ended tensions with its neighbors. After seven years, Chinese Premier Li Qiang visited Australia for the first time in June 2024. In August 2024, the country resolved with Japan the issue of radioactive water discharge from the Fukushima nuclear power plant. In October 2024, China ended a four-year military standoff with India on the disputed border.
China is also strengthening its economic and trade relations with countries in the Southern Hemisphere. This is demonstrated by the fact that both Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang actively attended the summits of the BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in October 2024, according to Reuters.
Trump's ban on selling components to Chinese telecommunications company ZTE in 2018 became the most pivotal event, forcing the country to change, increase self-reliance in science and technology, and promote the construction of important industries including AI and space.
A different China
As a result, the number of government projects to replace foreign hardware and software with domestic alternatives has increased from four to 169 in eight years, according to Reuters.
Analysts say China is now less dependent on the United States and much more economically self-sufficient, reflecting its dominance in many important industries such as electric vehicles, electric vehicle batteries, solar panels and many other devices.
The birth of DeepSeek shows that China can no longer be underestimated - Photo: REUTERS
Most recently, the fact that Chinese AI company DeepSeek has matched and even surpassed American AI models has highlighted the fact that China can no longer be underestimated as before.
"The reality is that China today is probably more productive than any economy has ever been," research analyst Louis-Vincent Gave told CBS News, adding that with this capacity, the Chinese economy is now better protected against a trade war with the United States.
Other calculations
A new twist in China’s calculations lies behind Beijing’s move to file a lawsuit against the United States at the World Trade Organization (WTO). According to analysts, this move is aimed at portraying China as a country that supports international law, contrary to what the United States has shown.
“The reason for filing a case (at the WTO) is for China to gain the moral upper hand to retaliate [...] This would be extremely useful for China as it competes with the US for influence,” Stephen Olson, of the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, told CNA.
China's retaliatory steps appear to be carefully considered, to send a tough message to the US - Photo: REUTERS
In addition, the Washington Post quoted Dennis Wilder, a former CIA analyst, as saying that Beijing did not impose new tariffs on $35 billion worth of US agricultural products exported by US farmers in states that supported Mr. Trump, as it did during his first term.
Mr Wilder pointed out that China's retaliatory steps appeared to be more carefully considered, to send a tough message without causing major conflict.
“China has been hoping for the best and preparing for the worst,” Henry Wang, an adviser to the Chinese government, told CBS News.
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/trung-quoc-da-doi-pho-thuong-chien-voi-my-tu-som-nhu-the-nao-20250208001109628.htm
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