Chinese Scholar: The Democratic Party takes control of Congress and will continue to increase pressure on Beijing on Taiwan and AI issues

Zhao Minghao, a professor at the Institute of International Studies at Fudan University, said that even if the results of the U.S. midterm elections will not change Washington's overall strategy toward Beijing, the U.S. Congress controlled by the Democratic Party will still increase pressure on Beijing on issues such as Taiwan, artificial intelligence (AI), and export controls.

The results of the U.S. midterm elections are roughly set, with the Democratic Party expected to take control of both houses of Congress. Hong Kong's South China Morning Post reported that Zhao Minghao, a professor at Fudan University's Institute of International Studies, said that even if the results of the U.S. midterm elections will not change Washington's overall strategy toward Beijing, the Democratic-controlled U.S. Congress will still expand pressure on Beijing on issues such as Taiwan, artificial intelligence (AI), and export controls.

Zhao Minghao said that the current vote count is a "blue tsunami" and a "big victory" for the Democratic Party, which will turn US President Trump into a "lame duck."

Zhao Minghao pointed out that the results of the U.S. midterm elections will not change the overall direction of Washington's China policy, because strengthening strategic competition with Beijing is the consensus of both parties in the United States, but the election results may affect the policy tools adopted by Washington.

Zhao Minghao said: "First of all, the Democratic-controlled Congress will definitely further expand the pressure on China on issues such as Taiwan, AI and export controls. Democrats will also more closely examine the Trump administration's China policy, including its diplomatic relations with Beijing. All of the above will affect how the executive branch handles relations with China in the next stage."

Zhao Minghao pointed out that as AI issues (including data centers to regulation) become the focus in the mid-term elections, and after the Democratic Party takes control of Congress, this debate is likely to be more closely linked to the competition between the United States and China. "The Democratic Party may use China policy as a tool to put pressure on Trump, which will be a very big challenge for Beijing," he said.

Zhao Minghao said that looking to the future, the decline of Trump's personal political authority will also pose a major challenge to the strategic and stable relationship between the United States and China and the progress it has made.