Why Is Trump Cozying Up to China?

"As President Trump has charged into a conflict with American allies over Greenland in recent weeks, he has also been pursuing an unlikely new friend: Communist China. Even for a politician known for erratic policy shifts, this swap-of longtime democratic partners that have sacrificed much for America's benefit in exchange for an authoritarian regime intent on undermining it-is bizarre. It also highlights the risks that Trump's personalized form of diplomacy presents to American national security and the balance of global power."

"Although a hard line on China was a centerpiece of Trump's first term, he has gone soft in his second. The president has removed nearly all of the tariffs that he imposed on Chinese imports last year, and he has loosened controls on the sale of advanced American semiconductors to China-over the objections of national-security experts-on the condition that Nvidia coughs up a cut of its sales to the U.S. government."

"Trump has also lately seemed to take Beijing's side regarding Taiwan, which China continues to claim as its own. The Trump administration has scaled down its interactions with Taiwan's government, and in November, the president reportedly asked Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to not escalate a dispute with Beijing over comments she had made about China's threat to Taiwan. That conversation took place shortly after Trump had spoken with Xi, who reinforced Beijing's position on Taiwan."

President Trump has shifted from a confrontational China stance toward conciliatory engagement, pursuing closer ties with Beijing even amid disputes with American allies over Greenland. He removed most tariffs on Chinese imports and relaxed controls on advanced U.S. semiconductor sales to China, conditioned on Nvidia providing a share of sales to the U.S. government. He framed an October 2025 summit with Xi Jinping as a 'G2' meeting. The administration has scaled down interactions with Taiwan's government and reportedly urged Japan not to escalate tensions with China. The pivot raises questions about motive and creates significant national-security and global-power balance risks.

Read at The Atlantic