HONG KONG/BEIJING — U.S. President-elect Donald Trump inherits a United States-China relationship reset by presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping over the last year to lift ties off a diplomatic nadir after COVID-19 and tension over Taiwan.
Formal talks are being held on a range of critical issues, but regional diplomats and analysts say these channels key to manage tense ties could be on the chopping block with Trump in the White House. They include: Improved communications between the two militaries have helped check tension in regional hotspots as Chinese and Philippine coast guard and fishing vessels square off almost weekly in the disputed South China Sea while the Chinese airforce keeps up tests of Taiwan’s defenses with combat readiness patrols close to the island. More work lies ahead to make them durable amid China’s military modernization and U.
S. deployments that ensure its traditional dominance of the Asian theatre, analysts say. Some fear military ties could be the first to be jettisoned if there is fresh turbulence, pointing to the military chill lasting nearly two years after then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan in August 2022.
Communications have gradually improved on a number of defence fronts since Xi and Biden agreed to deepen relations when they met face-to-face in November 2023. Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, held a rare meeting with Xi’s key military adviser, Zhang Youxia, during three days of talks in Beijing in Augus.