Trump’s Unpredictability Keeps Beijing Off Balance: Analysts

According to one analyst, the U.S. president’s volatile approach forced China to reveal its best card.
Trump’s Unpredictability Keeps Beijing Off Balance: Analysts
President Donald Trump and CCP leader Xi Jinping leave after their talks at the Gimhae Air Base in Busan, South Korea, on Oct. 30, 2025. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images
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Since day one in office, President Donald Trump has taken Beijing on a roller coaster ride of tariffs and export controls. For a regime that is already struggling with a stagnant economy and an international market increasingly wary of Chinese dumping, Trump’s actions have added an extra layer of uncertainty.

Both sides went through multiple rounds of escalation and de-escalation. Last month, they entered a tentative one-year truce.