Trump’s Shocking Pause: The Blustery President Holds Back on China—What’s the Hidden Agenda?
One of the most striking aspects of an otherwise expansive Donald Trump, who was willing to hold court in the Oval Office and then hold the longest press conference he has ever given with a visiting foreign leader, was his reluctance to say anything critical of China.
Instead, Trump downplayed the competition with China, stated that he had no intention of beating anyone, emphasised China’s role in the possible resolution of the war in Ukraine, spoke wistfully of possible denuclearization with Russia and China, and even offered to help mediate the India-China border issue if the countries desired, an offer that India politely but firmly rejected the same evening.
He did all of this while Prime Minister Narendra Modi sat and stood nearby. This came just hours after Trump told reporters in the Oval that he wanted to meet with both Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Right after his opening remarks welcoming Modi, HT asked Trump what role India would play in the US-China competition. Trump responded, “I believe we are doing extremely well in the competition with everyone. You will see a nation that is rapidly developing. Our economy is going to be great.
We are taking steps to ensure that this occurs. We announced a key component of success today… reciprocal tariffs.” There was no mention of China, and tariffs were mentioned as expected. To be sure, Trump has already announced higher tariffs against China, and he has only threatened to raise tariffs on India.
In response to another question about how he intended to beat China if he imposed tariffs on India, Trump stated, “We are in a good position to beat anyone we want, but we are not looking to beat anyone. We want to do a great job. “We have done an excellent job for the American people.” He did not mention China again.
Later, at the press conference, when asked about the US-India relationship in relation to China, Trump replied, “Well, I believe we will have a very good relationship with China. I got along well with President Xi up until Covid.
That was a bridge too far. But, until then, President Xi and I got along extremely well. We were very close as leaders. I don’t want to sound naive, but as leaders, I believe we were very close. And I believe that China is a major player in the world. I believe they can help us end the conflict with Ukraine and Russia.”
He then stated that he had observed skirmishes between India and China at the border and described them as “vicious,” implying that they were “still going on,” and offering to assist. “If I could help, I would gladly do so because this needs to stop. This has been going on for a long time. And it’s very violent. “It is quite violent.”
When asked about Trump’s offer later, foreign secretary Vikram Misri stated that India has a long history of resolving bilateral issues with its neighbours. The last time there was any real violence at the border was in 2020.
To be sure, China served as the strategic subtext for key initiatives ranging from technology to defence, from the Quad to maritime security, that India and the US agreed on. However, Trump’s reticence — especially for a leader not known for it — was a significant takeaway and a glimpse into his approach to China. In fact, since he imposed tariffs on China, he and Xi have not spoken.
