Does Donald Trump know what he’s doing on China?

President has replaced deliberate US ambiguity towards Taiwan with a strategy that just looks confused. Will this be a showdown or a climbdown?

Mar 30, 2025

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Donald Trump and Xi Jinping shaking hands at a summit.

Hawk or dove? On the campaign trail last year, Donald Trump threatened an across-the-board 60 per cent tariff on Chinese imports. Yet since his victory on November 5 — even as he has brutally settled scores with domestic foes and shocked European allies with his Ukraine policy — Trump has been strikingly emollient towards the superpower on the other sid…

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