Getting tough – a new article in Policy Studies looking at the Trump presidency and China

"We revitalized our alliances and rallied the nations of the world to stand up to China like never before" (Donald Trump).

Eddie Ashbee of EGB has – together with Steve Hurst, Head of History, Politics and Philosophy at Manchester Metropolitan University (UK) – contributed an article to the journal Policy Studies considering the impact of the Trump presidency on US policy towards China.

The article adds to several ongoing debates. How far have the Trump years upended US politics? Have the former president’s claims about revitalising alliances a basis in reality? Was Trump's term of office a temporary blip or has it left a permanent mark?  How far has there been an enduring change in the relationship between the US and other countries in both Europe and Asia?

Certainly, relations with China deteriorated markedly from 2017 onwards as the US committed itself to “strategic competition”. While President Biden quickly sought to re-establish a degree of cooperation around climate change it’s clear that there will be no quick or easy return to the more sanguine approaches of earlier years.

The article is part of a wider series of projects surveying and assessing policies towards China on both sides of the Atlantic and their implications for business communities. 

Edward Ashbee and Steven Hurst, The Trump administration and China: policy continuity or transformation? POLICY STUDIES 
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01442872.2021.1919299?src=