German-language media: Will the U.S. policy toward China become tougher?

(Deutsche Welle Chinese website) A guest comment from Handelsblatt believes that with the Democratic Party's resounding victory in the midterm elections, the U.S. Congress may introduce a series of new regulations to promote a more confrontational stance toward China, and the world should be prepared for this. The commentary titled "U.S. Policy toward Europe Will Not Change" reads:

"Although the China policy is not a campaign issue at all in this midterm election, the tough stance on China has broad bases in both the Democratic and Republican parties. For both the Democratic Party and some Republicans, this is an opportunity to draw a clear line with Trump. Because many people in Washington believe that President Trump has been too soft and accommodating on the China issue. Specifically, new measures that may be introduced in the future include: human rights-based trade restrictions, non-tariff import and export controls, and the establishment of more obstacles to China's direct investment in the United States.

It is expected that Washington’s trade policy will see two diametrically opposed legislative initiatives: a liberalization of Canada’s trade policy and criticism of Trump’s overly confrontational approach so far. The trade policy against China will be more protectionist, and Trump will be criticized for being too tolerant of China.

Although it is conceivable that the United States will launch a more logical trade and security strategy: opening its markets to allies in a targeted manner while imposing a further blockade on China, this is not the most likely outcome.

What is really decisive is the impetus generated by the future Democratic majority position. The Democratic Party has at least 54 seats and is fully expected to win the support of some Republican lawmakers in case-by-case votes to reach the 60-seat threshold required for legislation. Sometimes it may even reach a 67-seat majority sufficient to veto presidential directives.

At the same time, Trump's negative impact on Republican candidates has also put some senators under pressure to distance themselves from Trump, especially those politicians who hope to become presidential candidates in 2028.

Being tough on China and improving relations between the United States and Canada are precisely issues that can benefit both the Democratic and Republican parties. "

"Business Daily" commented that compared with U.S.-Canada relations and China's trade policy, there is no voter group in the United States with sufficient political influence to demand a reduction in tariffs on European exports to the United States. Therefore, from a European perspective, this midterm election will not bring about fundamental changes in U.S. trade protectionist policies:

“This midterm election may be a victory for the democratic system and the Democratic Party, but the limited changes to trade policy in this election are enough to show that there is still a huge gap between American politicians and voters.

Whether it is retaining most tariffs, continuing to advance economic conflicts with most allies, or further escalating conflicts between China and the United States, none of these has received clear authorization from voters. On the contrary, the decline in purchasing power and defense capabilities caused by the above policies goes against the priorities of voters: lowering inflation, ending wars, and having more money on hand. "

"Huang Renxun caught in the cracks between China and the United States"

"Süddeutsche Zeitung" commented on Nvidia President Huang Jensen's involvement in "sexy news" and wrote:

"If relevant reports are true, then the sensitivity of this incident lies in the fact that Nvidia is caught in the middle of the artificial intelligence competition between China and the United States. This California-based company mainly develops and produces high-performance chips required for artificial intelligence. It is with these chips that Nvidia has made a lot of money and has become one of the world's most valuable companies. Nvidia's customers include American high-tech giants such as Google and Microsoft, and Chinese companies also have a strong interest in Nvidia products.

However, export controls introduced by the U.S. government prohibit Nvidia from selling its most advanced chips to China. The U.S. government hopes to prevent China from surpassing the United States in artificial intelligence research and development. The United States believes that artificial intelligence is an issue involving national security. With the help of artificial intelligence, cyber attacks will achieve a qualitative leap.

Huang Renxun is a figure who shuttles between China and the United States. Huang, 63, was born in Taiwan and came to the United States when he was nine years old. He holds both American and Taiwanese citizenship and travels frequently to East Asia. In addition to English, he also speaks Chinese. NVIDIA's outstanding performance in the stock market has already made Huang Renxun one of the richest people in the world. Jen-Hsun Huang also maintains a close relationship with President Trump. In September this year, when President Trump hosted a state banquet to welcome Chinese President Xi Jinping, Huang and his wife Lori were the invited guests.

Jen-Hsun Huang has lobbied Trump, hoping that he would relax export restrictions on Nvidia. In the end, Huang got his wish, and at the end of 2025, Trump allowed Nvidia to sell slightly outdated chips to China. However, an additional condition is that Nvidia must hand over 25% of its sales profits to the government. Looking back, this lobbying also needs to be viewed in a different light. "