How will Donald Trump’s Beijing visit shape US strategy on China?

US President Donald Trump’s visit to Beijing next week will shape an ongoing White House review of China policy that will be used to formulate a coherent strategy for dealing with the world’s second-largest economy, analysts said.

Trump’s demands and takeaways from his first state visit to China will “drive the whole process” of refining a China policy, Michael Green, a former senior director at the US National Security Council, told the South China Morning Post.

“Whatever policy reviews [are] underway, they will throw them out and start over, or revisit them based on the [Trump’s] trip,” Green said. He is now a senior vice-president for Asia and Japan chair at the Washington-based Centre for Strategic and International Studies.

The White House has been quietly conducting an overall China policy review across US government entities since June. The review stems from a concern that the Trump administration lacks a coherent China approach. The administration mainly has focused on economic issues, including China’s alleged intellectual property theft, technology transfer requirement for joint ventures and trade tactics, Politico reported.

“I know the administration is really focusing on those specific areas that are very pragmatic,” Green said. He said he doubted the White House has formulated a China strategy yet.

Since Trump took power, the US has been pursuing a results-oriented approach aimed at getting China to make concessions that would reduce the bilateral trade deficit, increase American exports and gain more market access for US companies.