"Business Daily" comments: Sino-US competition is surging, Trump lacks strategy towards China

(Deutsche Welle Chinese website) Handelsblatt commented that although US President Trump likes to refer to Xi Jinping as a "friend", the relationship between the leaders of China and the United States is by no means a "friend", and a carefully arranged welcome scene cannot change this fact. This commentary titled "The Undercurrent of Sino-US Competition" reads:

"Behind the grand welcome scene, the competitive relationship between China and the United States is constantly intensifying. Although the conflict between the two countries is simple, it is extremely explosive: China hopes to expand its sphere of influence, first in Asia, and then to the world. But the United States is unwilling to give up its influence. In addition, in order to expand its influence and support its own economy, China relies on its large-scale and state-subsidized excess production capacity to exert strong pressure on its major competitors, including the United States.

But the real danger is that in the face of this huge challenge, Trump has no strategy for China. The president likes to act on his instincts. He values stock market fluctuations and believes that all problems can be solved through personal connections. Because of this, he attaches great importance to Xi Jinping's visit, and of course because meeting with Xi will also enhance his own reputation.

Unlike his predecessor Biden, Trump did not communicate and coordinate with long-term allies such as Germany when formulating his China policy, although a coordinated China policy would have been more lethal. For Europe, Trump's lack of a clear strategy and his unilateral actions on China are undoubtedly a problem. Because Trump’s behavior makes it impossible to predict the future trend of Sino-US relations, let alone the impact it will have on Europe. "

Hours after Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Washington, U.S. Treasury Secretary Bessent announced that the United States and China had agreed to extend the trade truce for two months. "Business Daily" wrote that it is clear that the leaders of both countries are unwilling to further escalate the trade war and damage their countries' economic growth:

“But what if an unexpected incident occurs in the relationship between the two countries, leading to the resumption of the trade war?

By then, German companies may have to wait for rare earth materials from China again. Beijing has used such tactics before. For their own sake, Europeans should also reduce their dependence on the People's Republic of China. At the same time, Europe should also protect its local market from the impact of China's highly subsidized products. Perhaps from the perspective of free market concepts, such measures will be painful, but one thing is for sure, Americans will do the same. "

“There is serious mistrust between China and the United States”

A guest comment from Cologne Stadtzeitung believes that there is still deep-rooted mutual distrust between China and the United States. Although there are signs of easing bilateral relations, this is only an expedient measure based on interest considerations:

"There is still a lot of mutual distrust between China and the United States. China still respects and recognizes the power and position of the United States to a certain extent, although the recognition has gradually declined. At the same time, the United States still habitually regards China, not Russia, as its number one enemy. Whether in Congress or among the people, great distrust of China is still widespread.

Trump was elected president for the first time that year, to some extent thanks to his demonization of China. He accused China of being the source of the COVID-19 epidemic, claiming that China raped the United States with a huge surplus and tried to eventually seize the United States' position as the world's number one economic power. Trump will continue to publicly express his concerns about China well into his second presidential term. In 2025, he once implemented a 145% tariff on Chinese products. However, this tariff was soon significantly reduced. Because Beijing also began to impose high tariffs on U.S. products and at the same time massively restricted exports of key mineral products to the United States, severely impacting many U.S. industrial sectors including automobiles and arms. Trump quickly backed down.

Since then, Sino-US relations have shown a trend of easing. Trump finally realized that Xi Jinping is an opponent that must be taken seriously. Unlike most Europeans, he can be manipulated at will.

In October 2025, Trump and Xi Jinping held less than two hours of talks in Busan, South Korea, and signed a trade agreement valid for one year. The United States announced that it would lower the average tariff on Chinese products from 57% to 47% and suspend punitive tariffs for one year. In return, China promised to suspend export controls on rare earths and other high-tech products and increase imports of soybeans and other agricultural products from the United States. ...

It is generally believed that Xi Jinping’s visit to the United States will be relatively harmonious. After all, the economic situation of both China and the United States is not good. Youth unemployment in China remains high, while inflation in the United States continues to surge. Trump and Xi Jinping have no choice but to extend the trade ceasefire. "