Beijing is prepared to deploy a series of measures to counter the impact of US president-elect Donald Trump’s return to the White House in January, a national security official said on Thursday.
The trade dispute between the US and China, initiated in 2018 during Trump’s first term as president, significantly reduced China’s economic and international clout, the official said on condition of anonymity.
Beijing is facing greater pressure than before as Trump’s return looms, the official added.
Photo: AFP
In anticipation of the incoming Trump administration sharply hiking tariffs to counter Chinese dumping, Beijing is prepared to launch retaliatory tariffs on US and European products, as well as to use administrative measures — tax reviews, accusations of intellectual property infringements, or citing its national security laws — to harass international companies, the source said.
China might even consider selling all of its US bonds, the source said.
Beijing might also use multilateral organizations to pressure the US, the official said, citing how China is pursuing membership in the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) while the US is becoming more isolationist, the source said.
The CPTPP evolved from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which was never ratified after the US withdrew from its during Trump’s previous administration.
China might dump its products on world markets, using the network built up by its Belt and Road Initiative and by deepening its control over those countries, the official said.
It could step up control over the East and South China seas, and the Taiwan Strait, and try to force the US to back down, to realize its goal of extending its influence over the region previously enclosed by the US’ “first island chain strategy,” the official said.
The source also cited a Center for Strategic and International Studies study warning that China could pass off routine patrols as military exercises to pressure the US, or call off exercises to show favor to the incoming Trump administration.
Beijing would step up commentary to raise doubts about the dependability of Trump and the US to drive a wedge between Taipei and Washington, the source said.
Lastly, China could step up relations with other authoritarian regimes in Russia, Iran and North Korea in an attempt to counter democratic countries, the official said.
Such measures could include persuading Iran and Pakistan to meddle in Middle East affairs while stepping up collaborations with Russia, the official said.
Death row inmate Huang Lin-kai (黃麟凱), who was convicted for the double murder of his former girlfriend and her mother, is to be executed at the Taipei Detention Center tonight, the Ministry of Justice announced. Huang, who was a military conscript at the time, was convicted for the rape and murder of his ex-girlfriend, surnamed Wang (王), and the murder of her mother, after breaking into their home on Oct. 1, 2013. Prosecutors cited anger over the breakup and a dispute about money as the motives behind the double homicide. This is the first time that Minister of Justice Cheng Ming-chien (鄭銘謙) has
BITTERLY COLD: The inauguration ceremony for US president-elect Donald Trump has been moved indoors due to cold weather, with the new venue lacking capacity A delegation of cross-party lawmakers from Taiwan, led by Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), for the inauguration of US president-elect Donald Trump, would not be able to attend the ceremony, as it is being moved indoors due to forecasts of intense cold weather in Washington tomorrow. The inauguration ceremony for Trump and US vice president-elect JD Vance is to be held inside the Capitol Rotunda, which has a capacity of about 2,000 people. A person familiar with the issue yesterday said although the outdoor inauguration ceremony has been relocated, Taiwan’s legislative delegation has decided to head off to Washington as scheduled. The delegation
TRANSPORT CONVENIENCE: The new ticket gates would accept a variety of mobile payment methods, and buses would be installed with QR code readers for ease of use New ticketing gates for the Taipei metro system are expected to begin service in October, allowing users to swipe with cellphones and select credit cards partnered with Taipei Rapid Transit Corp (TRTC), the company said on Tuesday. TRTC said its gates in use are experiencing difficulty due to their age, as they were first installed in 2007. Maintenance is increasingly expensive and challenging as the manufacturing of components is halted or becoming harder to find, the company said. Currently, the gates only accept EasyCard, iPass and electronic icash tickets, or one-time-use tickets purchased at kiosks, the company said. Since 2023, the company said it
Another wave of cold air would affect Taiwan starting from Friday and could evolve into a continental cold mass, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Temperatures could drop below 10°C across Taiwan on Monday and Tuesday next week, CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張竣堯) said. Seasonal northeasterly winds could bring rain, he said. Meanwhile, due to the continental cold mass and radiative cooling, it would be cold in northern and northeastern Taiwan today and tomorrow, according to the CWA. From last night to this morning, temperatures could drop below 10°C in northern Taiwan, it said. A thin coat of snow
RSS