Chinese President Xi Jinping called President-elect Trump to congratulate him on his election win, and warned the U.S. would “gain from cooperation and lose from confrontation” with China.
The message comes as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) must prepare for deeper tensions as Trump has vowed to bring back the trade war of his last presidency with blanket tariffs.
“Xi Jinping noted that history tells us that both countries stand to gain from cooperation and lose from confrontation. A China-U.S. relationship with stable, healthy and sustainable development serves the common interests of the two countries,” China’s foreign ministry said in a readout of the conversation.
“It is hoped that the two sides will, in the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation, enhance dialogue and communication, properly manage differences, expand mutually beneficial cooperation, and find the right way for China and the United States to get along with each other in the new era to the benefit of the two countries and the world.”
This week, Republicans captured control of the Senate and have favorable prospects in the undecided race for power in the House. With both chambers in Congress and the presidency, little would stand in Trump’s way of a steep sanctions regime.
In recent years, U.S.-China relations have worsened not only on trade — China has been threatening U.S. allies like the Philippines, Japan and Taiwan in the South China Sea.
They’ve been accused of sending Chinese nationals to spy on U.S. military bases and sent what was believed to be a surveillance balloon across the U.S.
While Trump ushered in an era of steep trade competition and increased support for Taiwan, President Biden did not necessarily warm the relationship.
Trump increased duties by at least 10% during his first term on over $300 billion worth of goods. Biden did not lift those tariffs.
That was on top of export controls on a variety of items that started under Trump and furthered under Biden.
