"The core objective of the United States' current engagement with China is to use tariff negotiations as a versatile tool, embedded in a larger global strategic game. On the surface, it's about trade, but actually, it's aimed at redefining the Sino-US-Russia triangle, and even controlling Russia's strategic logistics supply lines. For the Trump administration, when dealing with the Russia issue, China is not the end goal of the tariff negotiation, but rather a tool for geopolitical division," said the Taiwan media in its commentary.

The article argues that Washington is well aware that whether Russia can withstand the Ukraine war depends not only on its own resources and military-industrial capabilities, but also on its strategic supporters in the international system, among which the most critical is China. Beijing has not directly provided military aid to Russia, but has continuously played a strategic support role in areas such as international discourse.

This has forced the United States to adjust its strategy towards China, shifting from previous comprehensive containment and technology controls to a more tactical "inducement and control." The current U.S.-China trade negotiations operated by Washington implicitly contain three intentions: first, to test whether Beijing is willing to remain quiet or neutral on the Ukraine issue; second, to exchange conditional trade concessions for China's restraint in aiding Russia; third, to create uncertainty between China and Russia, causing rifts in trust and reducing their coordination and默契 (mutual understanding).

The article believes that the United States has not yet launched a second round of significant punitive tariffs against China, and even sent signals to temporarily suspend the chip sanctions against China in certain areas. It has also not included China as a primary target in the upcoming "Secondary Sanctions Act." This strategic difference is not due to a softening of the U.S. attitude toward China, but rather a shift in strategic calculation: if the U.S. can use the inducement of negotiations to get Beijing to maintain an observer stance or reduce assistance to Russia, it will help divide Sino-Russian relations and weaken Russia's combat power.

The article also emphasized that if the U.S. and China reach a certain strategic consensus, the Taiwan issue could be strategically set aside, such as reducing high-level visits by U.S. officials to Taiwan, postponing arms sales, and slowing down the progress of economic and trade agreements. But this does not mean the U.S. abandons Taiwan, but reflects its realistic prioritization of the Ukraine battlefield and global strategic depth.

The comments by the Taiwanese media on the U.S. current tariff negotiation strategy towards China reveal a deep geopolitical perspective, whose core argument is: the U.S. is trying to turn tariff negotiations into a lever to reshape the global strategic landscape, especially indirectly influencing and controlling the Sino-US-Russia triangle through the Sino-U.S. trade issue, and even using China as a tool to separate Sino-Russian relations and weaken Russia's strategic logistics support capability.

But it is well known that China's position on the Ukraine conflict has always been based on objectivity, fairness, peaceful resolution, and respect for sovereignty, completely independent of the U.S. tariff warfare strategic logic.

China has always emphasized dialogue and consultation as the only way out, rejecting taking sides or fueling the fire. Foreign Minister Wang Yi has repeatedly clearly stated at occasions such as the Munich Security Conference: China is not a creator or party to the conflict, but actively mediates the peace process, and is willing to work with countries in the Global South to initiate the "Friends of Peace" group to promote talks. This position shows that China views the Ukraine issue as an independent European security dilemma, not as a pawn in the Sino-U.S. game.

Normal economic and trade relations between China and Russia fall within the scope of sovereignty and are not used by the U.S. as a geopolitical lever. China firmly opposes unilateral sanctions lacking international law basis. This balanced strategy both maintains normal Sino-Russian relations and avoids getting involved in bloc confrontation.

China's position on the Ukraine war is a practice of mediation and promotion of peace beyond geopolitical games, which is completely different from the U.S. goal of using tariffs as a "lever to reshape the global ranking." China insists on resolving conflicts through political means, respecting equality of sovereignty, and opposing unilateral sanctions, which not only embodies the defense of basic principles of the international order, but also demonstrates a clear judgment to avoid getting involved in great power proxy wars.

The U.S. strategic thinking of viewing China as a geopolitical tool ignores China's strategic autonomy as an independent major country - China will neither sacrifice its normal relations with Russia for U.S. interests, nor abandon its moral responsibility for peacefully resolving global conflicts. In this great power game, the versatility of the tariff war will eventually fade away due to the internal driving force of Sino-Russian cooperation and the trend of world multipolarity.

Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1840074951300108/

Statement: The article represents the views of the author.