Return of Trump

Further complicating the situation is the transition to a new US administration in 2025 under Donald Trump, whose previous presidency heightened tensions between the two powers.

"The United States is engaged in economic warfare against China, and China is now firing back," said Chas Freeman, former US assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs. "The incoming Trump administration promises to escalate rather than lower tensions and appears to harbor unrealistic expectations that, by increasing the pressure on the Chinese economy, it can once again put together a one-sided deal with China," Freeman told China Daily.