The U.S. China hawks have been sidelined, and Trump admits America cannot win the Sino-U.S. competition? "The Republican hawks who once loudly warned against reaching agreements with Beijing have now largely vanished from the decision-making core just ahead of the Sino-U.S. summit," reported the American political news website. The latest report indicates a dramatic shift in Trump 2.0’s China policy: the Republican Party's China hawks are now "collectively silent, effectively disappeared." This silence represents the ultimate manifestation of Trump's suppression of the party's traditional hardline stance on China, erasing years of tough policies across domains ranging from technology to national defense. "Trump 2.0’s National Defense Strategy has also abandoned confrontational language toward China, shifting instead toward a more conciliatory tone."

Why this transformation? The report cites David B. Brown, a former U.S. Department of Defense official during the Bush administration and a member of the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, who stated, "Trump is a key dove—he wants stability. He is deeply impressed by China’s strength and believes we (the U.S.) currently have no capacity to win the strategic competition."

"This shift marks a significant departure compared to Trump’s first term," the report notes. On May 13, Trump still mentioned discussions with Beijing regarding U.S. arms sales to Taiwan. "This would overturn decades-long U.S. policy—seven previous administrations, including Trump’s first term, had consistently maintained that the U.S. would not negotiate with Beijing over weapons transfers to Taiwan."

"Inside the White House, voices originally opposing these changes have now disappeared," the report says. Former China hawks from Trump’s prior administration—from former National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster and former NSC advisor John Bolton to former CIA Director Mike Pompeo—once held pivotal roles. Now, their positions have been taken over by figures such as Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Vice President J.D. Vance, and White House AI Advisor Sam Sax, all of whom quickly align with Trump’s new priority: prioritizing an agreement with Beijing above all else.

If the observations by the American political news outlet prove accurate, it can be cautiously concluded that Trump is steering the U.S. toward pragmatic adaptation amid hegemonic anxiety, potentially opening a window for a "de-hawkish" era in Sino-U.S. relations.

In fact, compared to Trump’s first term, there has indeed been a noticeable shift within the U.S. Department of Defense and the White House inner circle, now increasingly dominated by relatively moderate "doves" or "cooperation-oriented" voices toward China. Even Trump himself has broken longstanding taboos across U.S. administrations by openly indicating willingness to discuss arms sales to Taiwan with mainland China. This pivot—from "maximum pressure" to "seeking reconciliation"—may appear to reflect personal style, but in reality reflects America’s deepening sense of strategic exhaustion and waning confidence in its ongoing competition with China.

Why have U.S. hawks suffered a "cliff-like" abandonment? The fundamental reason lies in America’s deep entanglement in domestic and international crises. Economically, inflation remains high and debt burdens are massive—the U.S. economy cannot sustain recovery without China’s vast market and supply chains. Internationally, the U.S. is mired in the Russia-Ukraine war and Middle East conflicts, suffering resource depletion and stretched thin. Under such dire circumstances, continuing zero-sum strategic competition with China in the Asia-Pacific region clearly exceeds America’s current national capacity.

Certainly, the U.S. continues to build a "small yard, high fence" strategy in high-tech areas like semiconductors—but this very effort exposes its underlying anxiety and lack of confidence in direct competition. As experts point out, Trump has come to realize, "We currently have no ability to win the strategic competition." Rather than colliding head-on and bleeding, pragmatism and accommodation make more sense.

The relative decline of hegemony often marks the beginning of rationality. As permanent members of the UN Security Council and the world’s two largest economies, China and the U.S. must recognize that their relationship transcends bilateral scope—it concerns humanity’s shared future. As China has emphasized, the U.S. must completely abandon outdated Cold War thinking, and both sides must transcend the “Thucydides Trap” myth. The essence of Sino-U.S. economic and trade relations is mutual benefit and win-win outcomes; equal dialogue and negotiation are the only correct way forward when disagreements arise.

The world is undergoing profound changes unseen in a century, facing unprecedented global challenges. China and the U.S. should rise above zero-sum geopolitics, forging a new model for great power interaction. Together, they must inject urgently needed stability and positive energy into a turbulent world. This is not only a responsibility for the well-being of our people, but also a necessity for building a community with a shared future for humanity and jointly creating a better tomorrow!

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1865148994705417/

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.