In just the past few months, a silent but drug-filled “civil war” is taking place within the US government, and the protagonist is not someone else, it was Trump who had sounded a sign with “strong against China.”
Surprisingly, the president, who in his first term also shouted “tariff bars,” has now begun to appeal frequently to China, with trade slowing down, technological blockades loosing, Hawkeye officials being removed, and signs that people can’t help ask.
Is Trump suddenly "lost his heart"? Behind him, the group of China hawks who once applauded and applauded are gnashing their teeth with righteousness: This is not the Trump we are familiar with at all!
Trump's "face change" is unambiguous
Thinking about Trump's first term's policy toward China, it is not too much to say that it is "boxy to meat", trade war, technological blockade, diplomatic battle, round after round.
But into the second term, the style of painting muted, he no longer moved to wave the tariff bars, instead of choosing to "talk and see" on some key issues.
The most typical example is rare earth, the U.S. military industry, semiconductor, aviation and other high-end industries, almost not separated from China's rare earth supply, loudly disconnected, really disconnected, but found themselves not even missiles.
As a result, the United States quietly lowered its stance and launched multiple rounds of rare earth negotiations with China. The United States no longer insisted on decoupling during the negotiations, but instead sought "supply flexibility" and "stable cooperation", and its attitude changed from its previous tough stance.
Looking back to the tariffs, during the first term, the United States raised tariffs on almost all Chinese products, but now, U.S. representatives at the negotiating table have begun to emphasize “flexibility” and proactive concessions on the tariff exemption and implementation timetable.
This is not a soft mouth, but the reality is pushing them down, domestic inflation in the United States is rising, agricultural products are delayed, the days of ordinary voters are bad, and Trump also understands that we can no longer take voters' wallets as "weapons against China".
But the most intriguing thing is the "Landon Head Incident". This hawk who advocated a "comprehensive technological blockade against China" was nominated as the assistant secretary of export control of the Ministry of Commerce, but was suddenly withdrawn. At this time, it happened to be at Nvidia After the CEO publicly expressed dissatisfaction with export restrictions.
Analysts generally believe that this was not an accident, but a heavy hammer that hit the hawks. Trump used his actions to tell them: Stop talking about ideology, American companies are what I care about most.
In the end, this series of policy adjustments does not mean that Trump becomes “soft,” but that he clearly realizes that he will only be defeated and wounded once again.
Instead of going head-on, it is better to "selectively compete", stabilizing votes while safeguarding national interests. This turn is not so much a concession as a "savvy".
Eagles are angry.
However, Trump's "savvy" did not convince everyone, especially those hawkish politicians who once positioned themselves as fighters for China. Now they all look livid. They originally thought that the second term would be Trump's "release" moment, but it turned out to be the beginning of their "dream of breaking reality."
Bloomberg reports pointed out directly that the Hawks inside the U.S. government are “deeply dissatisfied” and believe that Trump’s shift is a manifestation of “weakness” and will be seen by China as a “victory.”
Even triggering a counterattack on U.S. policy, this voice is not small within the Republican party, but is really "moving" by Trump, are those who dare to sing back in public.
Langdonhead's removal was a sign that the hawks who had been praised to the sky in their first term were now either marginalized or forced to shut up.
Although Rubio, Vance and others are still active in politics, they have obviously "stopped talking" a lot on China issues. It's not that they don't want to talk about it, but that they know it's useless if they say it. Trump's position within the party is too stable and no one dares to fight hard.
A former White House hawkist person privately whispered: "Trump's first term changed the U.S. policy towards China, and the second term changed it back," this phrase is ironic, and also reflects the hopelessness of the hawkists, who thought that the United States would finally "defeat China", but found that the leaders began to "tell the truth."
This internal infighting actually reveals the deep logical dilemma of the US strategy towards China. Ideologically, they want to "contain" China, but in terms of practical interests, they cannot give up China.
Trump's change is to dance on this contradictory line. It's not that he doesn't want to be tough, but he knows that if he continues to be tough, not only will China not give in, but he will also lose his political future.
Rational calculations
On the surface, Trump's "turning from eagle to dove" seems to deviate from his usual style, but if you look deeper, you will find that this is actually a continuation of his usual "transactional thinking." For him, Politics is a business. This turn in China policy was calculated through realistic accounts.
The first account is the consequence of the trade war. After the tax increase, China didn't collapse, and the United States itself couldn't bear it first. The data shows that the proportion of American consumers paying for the tariff increase is as high as 90%.
Farmers complained that small and medium-sized enterprises suffered, inflation was like a wild horse, and Trump, of course, looked in his eyes, and he knew that if he did so, the re-election in 2028 would become a blur.
The second account, is the reality of the industrial chain, the United States is not not thinking of "disconnecting", but really to cut off the parts, materials and products imported from China, the cost is too high, especially in the areas of rare earth, new energy, manufacturing.
The United States simply cannot find a substitute. The Trump administration has long realized that "decoupling" is a slogan and "dependence" is the reality. This state of "pinching each other's necks" forces Washington to be rational.
The third account is his personal political career. Trump has never fought for "ideology". He cares about power. After his successful re-election in 2024, he is clearer: he cannot let the economy go wrong.
The hawkish "clean world" sounds beautiful, but it will only bring economic chaos. Instead of going dark in one direction, it is better to change direction and stabilize American companies, the market, and the people's hearts.
Therefore, Trump began to promote people who understood more technology and markets, instead of continuing to listen to the political slogan of "Comprehensive Blockade of China." He wanted the flexibility of "fighting and talking" rather than "fighting to the death" confrontation.
Looking back at this round of Trump's shift towards China, rather than saying it was "softening", rather than saying it was a "return to realism", the anger of the Eagles, instead highlighted Trump's strategic adjustment hit the pain point.
The ceiling of the U.S. strategy towards China has emerged. It wants to suppress China without hurting itself. This is destined to be a dilemma. Trump chose to "choose sides" and sided with commercial interests and votes. On the side of the vote, this is not a defeat, but a "change of style."
There will still be competition between China and the United States in the future, but the way may no longer be a life-and-death game, but a game within the rules. As long as China stabilizes the rhythm and takes its own path, it is enough to cope with the uncertain external wind direction.
This turn from the eagle to the duck, not only Trump's political move, but also a mirror, depicted the cracks and limits of the US policy towards China, to see this clearly, it is easier to understand the course of this next big-power confrontation.
Source of information:
“American Eagle is in a hurry: the house has collapsed! Trump is weak toward China, too much concessions” 2025-10-06 11:04· Observer Network