German media: In the face of economic interests, Trump's policies have become increasingly "flexible"

The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung comments that Trump's recent decision to approve the export of high-end chips to competitors highlights how his policies have become increasingly "flexible" in the face of economic interests.

For a long time, the US government has been concerned that high-end chips could enhance the strength of competitors and weaken the US' leading position in artificial intelligence. Therefore, the Biden administration had previously strictly prohibited the export of high-end chips to competitors. However, President Trump has now re-approved the export, with the condition that 25% of the chip sales revenue will be paid to the US government.

The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung's commentary wrote:

"The chip case highlights the dilemma of US policy and its ongoing shift: the conflict between safeguarding national security and trade has become pronounced."

During his first term as president, Trump took an aggressive approach to bid farewell to the 'engagement policy'. However, this shift in China policy was not exclusive to the Republicans, nor was it a creation of the MAGA (Make America Great Again) movement: after taking office, Biden continued this policy, retained the measures from Trump's era, and expanded them strategically. China policy is one of the few issues where both the Republican and Democratic parties can achieve a high degree of consensus.

During Biden's administration, Washington generally viewed China's rise as a threat to the United States. Secretary of State Blinken during Biden's tenure once said: 'China is the only country that has the intention to reshape the international order and is increasingly capable of achieving this goal with economic, diplomatic, military, and technological power.'

As one of the measures to deal with China's rise, Trump imposed large-scale tariffs on China during his first term. Biden retained these tariffs and even increased some of them. The focus of the Biden administration is on areas that help the United States achieve strategic goals: massive investment in American industry, technology, and infrastructure, so that the United States can better compete with its rivals globally.

The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung's commentary stated that the Biden administration basically continued the tough China policy implemented by Trump during his first term, and limited China's access to advanced technologies through sanctions and export controls.

However, in his second term, Trump clearly focused more on the trade deficit issue. On issues of security guarantees, he required Japan and South Korea allies to take on more responsibilities.

All signs indicate that Trump has not completely abandoned the tough China policy he himself promoted and which gained bipartisan consensus.

Original: toutiao.com/article/1855584850369536/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author alone.