Trump's China Crackdown Burns Bridge to Xi, Experts Warn

Expert analysts predict that President Donald Trump's forceful tariffs on Chinese exports have created major damage to bilateral ties with China thereby delaying any future meeting between presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping. The pause of additional tariffs against most countries remains ongoing yet President Trump continues to hold critical views against China for its exploitation against the United States. The current trade dispute has led to critical discussion stagnation on global topics between the two countries thereby worsening their bilateral relations.

"Under Trump, China-US ties have sunk to the worst state of affairs short of a fairly large armed conflict. Trump has unsheathed his dagger against China at a speed that exceeded many people's imaginations," Shi Yinhong, director of the Center for American Studies at Beijing's Renmin University of China, said.

Congressional and military pressures forced Trump to attack China through tariffs at such an accelerated pace that many observers could not believe their eyes. Today the United States imposes 145 percent import tariffs against Chinese goods and cumulative duties have soared to 245 percent for several products coming from China.

Beijing has retaliated against the United States by imposing customs duties of 125 percent on imported goods as well it views additional tariff increases as useless. US-China relations are in "effectively a state of economic war", Susan Thornton, who served as acting top US diplomat for East Asia during Trump's first administration, told AFP.

Plans for a potential June meeting between Trump and Xi have collapsed amid rising tensions. Analysts say Trump’s harsh tariffs and rhetoric have derailed behind-the-scenes diplomacy. Unlike the Biden era, dialogues on key issues like fentanyl and climate change have stalled. China has ridiculed Trump’s policies while positioning itself as a champion of fair trade amid U.S. “bullying.”