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China sentiment toward Trump shifts from alarm to a shrug
A decade of Chinese commentary cited in the piece describes a move from concern about alliance disruption to a view that sanctions and pressure can spur the multipolar shift.
South China Morning Post describes how Chinese officials and scholars have adjusted their public view of US President Donald Trump’s second term, moving from real alarm in 2017 to something closer to a shrug by 2026, in part based on trends the outlet says it can document over time.
The article lays out four areas it calls consensus among Chinese scholars. It says Trump is undermining America’s alliance system, pressure has not been a reliable stand in for actual containment, and that the 2018 trade war initially spooked Chinese firms.
It also argues that, over time, sanctions are seen in China as effectively building what they are meant to prevent, a perspective framed as contributing to the perceived acceleration of a multipolar world.
The story further characterizes Chinese views of Trump’s approach as focused on short term politics, including claims that executive power is being stretched and that US contributions to global public goods have been reduced, while taxes are described as affecting both friends and foes.