China Power | Diplomacy | East Asia

Does China Have a Plan for Dealing With a Democratic Congress?

Should Beijing treat Trump as a “lame duck,” or should Xi Jinping continue to invest in cultivating him?

U.S. President Donald Trump addresses a Joint Session of Congress in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., Mar. 4, 2025.

In its first observation on the global reactions to Trump’s midterm defeat, the New York Times said the world wondered what the result might mean for trade, energy, and ongoing wars in Ukraine and Iran. But that is not what the policymakers in Beijing were thinking. A readers’ comment best summed up the debate in Chinese public opinion over China’s reaction: “Will China send a congratulatory message to the US Democratic Party?”

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leadership is faced with new questions. Should Beijing treat Trump as a “lame duck,” or should Xi Jinping continue to invest in “cultivating” (or, more bluntly, “entrapping”) him? More broadly, should Beijing change tack or carry on pursuing a “constructive relationship of strategic stability” with the United States?

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In its first observation on the global reactions to Trump’s midterm defeat, the New York Times said the world wondered what the result might mean for trade, energy, and ongoing wars in Ukraine and Iran. But that is not what the policymakers in Beijing were thinking. A readers’ comment best summed up the debate in Chinese public opinion over China’s reaction: “Will China send a congratulatory message to the US Democratic Party?”

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leadership is faced with new questions. Should Beijing treat Trump as a “lame duck,” or should Xi Jinping continue to invest in “cultivating” (or, more bluntly, “entrapping”) him? More broadly, should Beijing change tack or carry on pursuing a “constructive relationship of strategic stability” with the United States?

The next U.S. Congress, which will be controlled by solid Democratic majorities in both houses, will face three........

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