Opinion | How Trump 2.0 accelerated China’s push for tech and trade resilience

As intense US-China competition becomes the new normal, pressure has strengthened China’s capacity to adapt rather than deter it from its long-term ambitions

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President Xi Jinping attends a high-level reception to ring in the Lunar New Year at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, on January 27, 2025. Photo: Xinhua

Published: 8:30pm, 22 Jan 2026

After a year of Trump 2.0, China has much to be thankful for. This is not an endorsement of US hegemony but an expression of confidence in China’s increased resilience – and an acknowledgement of the US policies that pushed China there.

The Chinese government’s stance towards Trump 2.0 remains the same: to adhere to its own principles, respond rationally and look to turn any crisis into an opportunity.

For a start, Trump 2.0’s tariff war on China has backfired. All it did was force China to diversify. Last year, trade with Belt and Road Initiative partner countries grew by 6.3 per cent to reach 23.6 trillion yuan (US$3.39 trillion), accounting for 51.9 per cent of China’s total foreign trade value. Trade with the European Union also grew by 6 per cent to 5.93 trillion yuan to account for 13 per cent.

In contrast, trade with the United States fell by 18 per cent to 4.01 trillion yuan and only accounted for 8.8 per cent. In particular, trade with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) grew by 8 per cent, with Latin America by 6.5 per cent and with Africa by 18.4 per cent.

By October, China had upgraded its free trade agreement with Asean. In November, Chinese companies secured a record US$83.5 billion in import deals at the China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai. In December, the Hainan free trade port came into operation.

China can thank Trump 2.0 for putting the resilience of Chinese companies to the test, forcing them to go global and diversify under the catalyst of trade pressure.

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.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}As intense US-China competition becomes the new normal, pressure has strengthened China’s capacity to adapt rather than deter it from its long-term ambitions

As intense US-China competition becomes the new normal, pressure has strengthened China’s capacity to adapt rather than deter it from its long-term ambitions