What does Trump's win mean for China? 'Not preferred outcome, raises concerns but...

China will work with the US on the basis of mutual respect, it said on Wednesday as Donald Trump closed in on victory in the presidential election, but strategists said Beijing was bracing for bitter superpower rivalry over trade, technology and security issues.

“Our policy towards the US is consistent,” foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told a regular press conference in Beijing, when asked how Trump returning to the Oval Office would affect US-China relations.

“We will continue to view and handle China-US relations in accordance with the principles of mutual respect, peaceful co-existence and win-win cooperation,” she added.

Chinese strategists however said they expected more fiery rhetoric and potentially crippling tariffs from Trump, although some said his isolationist foreign policy could give Beijing a vacuum to expand its global influence.

“Beijing anticipated a close race in the US election. Although Trump’s victory is not China’s preferred outcome and raises concerns, it is not entirely unexpected,” said Tong Zhao, senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

“The Chinese leadership will likely strive to maintain an appearance of a cordial personal relationship with Trump, while intensifying efforts to project China’s power and strength”.

Da Wei, director of the Centre for International Security and Strategy at Tsinghua University in Beijing, said Trump’s victory “may pose a relatively large challenge to Sino-U.S. relations” based on his campaign policy proposals and actions in his previous term.

that there is a fully formed plan to do “x” when Trump comes to power. It also depends on what policies the Trump administration implements."

Trump tariff threat

Trump has proposed tariffs on Chinese imports in excess of 60 per cent and ending China’s most-favoured-nation trading status, and analysts say the prospect of a trade war has rattled China’s leadership.

China sells goods worth more than $400 billion annually to the US and hundreds of billions more in components for products Americans buy from elsewhere.

“Beijing is particularly wary of a potential revival of the trade war under Trump, especially as China currently faces significant internal economic challenges,” said Zhao.

“China also expects Trump to accelerate the decoupling of technologies and supply chains, a move that could threaten China’s economic growth and indirectly impact its social and political stability”.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Firstpost staff.)