A number of cabinet picks for President-elect Donald Trump’s forthcoming cabinet have a reputation as “China hawks”, presaging a deeply conflictual relationship between the two countries in the coming years.
Trump has made confronting China over trade a key element of his policy platform; China has taken on more aggressive postures in recent years. The prospect of a military showdown, probably sparked by a Chinese move to take Taiwan, has been widely discussed.
Senator Marco Rubio, Trump’s choice for Secretary of State, pledged earlier in the year to “continue to support Taiwan”. He has also stated that “Communist China is not, and will never be, a friend to democratic nations.” Taiwan’s foreign ministry had previously commended him for not accepting the “One China, Two Systems” formulation.
On Taiwan and the stakes for the US, he argued: “We must do all we can to deter an attack on Taiwan, or we risk losing the Indo-Pacific region to the Chinese Communist Party.”
Michael Waltz, who is tipped to be Trump’s national security adviser, and Elise Stefanik, whom Trump intends to appoint as ambassador to the United Nations, are likewise seen as hawkish on China.
[Photo: by Paul Sprengers from Pixabay]