In October 2025, the Sino-U.S. economic and trade relations once again went to the tip of the wind.The front foot Trump just released a bad word, vowed to impose a 100% tariff on Chinese goods, the back foot changed the tone, said he was willing to continue to talk, and also wanted to help China.
This cold and hot relationship does not reflect a temporary emotion, but the double collision of strength and reality. The Chinese side did not panic or quarrel, and directly responded with a set of prepared countermeasures; on the US side, the market was turbulent and political pressure, and it was eager to find a way out.
This confrontation is not just a scream, but a profound political confrontation.
The Chinese are not in a hurry, they are ready.
This time, China no longer showed mercy, but really came up with a systematic response plan. Different from previous peer-to-peer responses, this counter-measure is more comprehensive and accurate.
First, the bottom line on the export of resources was revealed. The relevant departments of the country successively issued an announcement, which tightened the export control of key materials such as rare earth. These things look unobtrusive, but in the high-tech, defense industry are indispensable basic raw materials.
China did not suddenly take the initiative, but decided to incorporate this area into a stricter management system after a long period of research and evaluation. Not only the resources themselves, but also the associated refining, equipment, and technical personnel flow have been included in the scope of supervision. In other words, this is not just an export restriction, but also a reorganization of the entire industrial chain.
Immediately after that, China has also moved its hands on the new energy industry chain. Battery materials, key technology control measures have been introduced in succession, directly affecting the pace of development of new energy vehicles in the United States.This is not a simple "You hit me and I hit you", but a focus, strategically targeting the other party's high dependency and difficulty of replacement.
At the same time, investigation procedures have also been launched against U.S. representative companies in the chip field. This approach is not only a response to the long-term suppression of Chinese technology companies by the United States, but also sends a very clear signal: we are not only defending, but also capable of accurately counterattacking.
On the whole, China's response is not a temporary battle, but a "toolbox" that has been prepared for a long time. According to the development of the situation, there are rules to follow for what tools to use and how to use them.
This also shows that China is no longer just passively responding, but has the ability to actively defend its interests within the framework of rules.
Trump's "changing face" is not just market pressure behind
On the one hand, China is making an orderly move, while on the other hand, the Trump administration suddenly makes a sharp turn. This contrast makes many people confused. But from the actual situation, this is not unexpected. As soon as Trump's "tough words" were released, chaos broke out in the United States before China could fully respond.
The most direct response comes from the capital market. After Trump announced the threat of tax increases, the U.S. stock market fluctuated violently. Technology stocks led the decline, and the entire market sentiment fell into panic. Behind this reaction is actually investors 'concerns about renewed tensions in Sino-US trade.
U.S. companies rely heavily on the China market, especially in the fields of technology, manufacturing, and new energy. If tariffs are really increased significantly, not only will China suffer, but also U.S. companies will suffer.
In addition to market sentiment, Trump also faces a more difficult problem-poor government operations. By October, the U.S. federal government was in a budget deadlock and the operations of a large number of departments were stalled. In this state, many external measures cannot be effectively implemented at all. If you want to impose sanctions, there is no one in the executive body; if you want to push policies, the legislative body is still arguing. Picking trouble outside at this time will only intensify internal conflicts.
More importantly, China’s calm response left the U.S. offensive unfocused. No emotional response, no high-tone counterattack, but a step-by-step system and policy speech. This “silent” manner of handling, in turn, prevented Trump from touching China’s bottom line.
As a result, Trump's remarks about changing his tough tone began to appear on social platforms, saying that he was willing to talk and didn't want to see the situation get out of control. These words sound much softer. In essence, they are to appease the market and find a room for manoeuvre for themselves. In fact, he never let go of "talking" about this matter, but this time he was pushed back by reality.
Vice President Vance also began to publicly call for rational handling of relations with China. This voice is actually a warm-up for policy adjustments. After all, the mid-term elections are approaching, and economic performance is directly related to Trump's political chips. In this context, continuing to confront head-on is not only risky, but may also bring counter-effects.
Negotiations will either resume, but the situation is far from clear.
Although Trump's attitude has softened a lot, this does not mean that Sino-US relations have warmed up. China's attitude towards negotiations has always been clear: talks can be held, but the prerequisite is sincerity and we cannot engage in petty tricks while talking.
In response to external concerns, relevant Chinese agencies said that export management measures such as rare earth are normal legal adjustments and are carried out according to law under the existing system and are not targeted at any particular country.
But at the same time, China also emphasized that the long-term abuse of export controls by the United States has seriously disrupted the order of the global supply chain. These words are actually very clear: we are not creating trouble, but we will not blindly give in.
From the perspective of the US side, although Trump has eased his words now, the real policy adjustment has not yet been put in place. He is facing a lot of pressure at home, especially in terms of government budget and inflation control, and has accumulated a lot of problems.
Striking against China will only make these problems more prominent. However, it is unlikely that he will immediately withdraw his previous tariff threat. After all, political face cannot be lost just like that. This means that future negotiations may be held in a "prickly atmosphere."
The atmosphere at the negotiating table will be more complex than ever. The Chinese side will not easily compromise, nor will the United States make easy concessions. Especially in the fields of long-term games such as technology, energy, trade rules, the differences between the two sides remain.
But this time, China is obviously more fully prepared and more rhythmic than before. Instead of responding passively as in the past, we use strategies and bottom lines to push the situation in a direction that benefits us. This change may be the most noteworthy change in this round of game.
Source: Now know what's in a hurry? "I wanted to call the Chinese side and was rejected" — 2025-10-13 12:18 Source: Press Release; Press Release.