Beyond Impulsiveness: How Trump’s Strategy Reshaped the U.S.–China Trade War

For years, Donald Trump's foreign policy was described as unpredictable because he followed his personal emotions instead of following established military strategies. Yet a closer examination shows that Trump developed a military strategy which treated China as the core element of American global military operations.

Political analysts and commentators increasingly argue that Trump’s actions represented not a rupture with American foreign policy traditions but an acceleration of a deeper long-term shift which recognized China as the principal strategic challenger to U.S. global hegemony in the 21st century.

A Structural Conflict, Not a Personal Obsession

The trade war which Trump initiated served as an economic battle that formed part of a larger geopolitical conflict which sought to restrict China's development. This perspective helps explain why many of Trump’s most controversial trade measures, particularly tariffs on Chinese goods, were not dismantled by his successor.

The Biden administration maintained existing trade barriers while extending their scope through new restrictions. The United States maintains a bipartisan agreement which exists throughout Washington because all political groups see China as America's primary strategic opponent.

The belief that China represents a fundamental danger to the United States has taken root across all sectors from Congress to major think tanks and defense contractors and mainstream media outlets. The American elite shows increasing concern about two main issues which they perceive to be vital to their society: the decline of the American Century and the potential emergence of Chinese dominance during the 21st century.

Trade War as a Tool of Global Containment

China does not show any willingness to yield under external pressure. Beijing used its extensive historical knowledge and its dedication to strategic independence to strengthen its domestic production capabilities and extend its trading network while accelerating its quest for technological independence.

The situation has evolved into an extended conflict which now behaves like a novel type of Cold War that battles through supply chains and industrial policy and semiconductors and worldwide market access.

A World in Transition

The U.S.-China trade conflict functions as a direct result of fundamental changes that are currently reshaping the global system. The unipolar order that emerged after the Cold War is giving way to a more fragmented and multipolar world, which now distributes economic power and political influence together with technological leadership across multiple different centers.

Trump's foreign policy functions in this situation as a standard foreign policy approach which demonstrates fundamental changes that continue to impact current United States government operations. The United States relationship with China has transformed into a three-part conflict which includes economic and technological and geopolitical elements, and this conflict now serves as the main force that determines worldwide political relations between countries.

The trade war between the United States and China serves as a clear indicator that international power relationships face new changes because both traditional economic definitions and ideological systems fail to describe this current transition.