China’s muted response to midterms ahead of summitpublished at 10:05 GMT
Laura Bicker
China correspondent
Beijing appears keen to maintain a stable relationship with Washington as President Xi Jinping prepares to meet Donald Trump this month.
China will be aware the White House will continue to wield the greatest influence over US-China relations, regardless of which party controls Congress.
Beijing wants to build a “constructive, strategically stable China-US relationship”, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said at a regular press briefing on Wednesday.
This muted response to the midterms hides both the challenges and opportunities Trump’s crushing loss has for Xi.
Image source, ReutersXi and Trump at a state dinner in Washington DC in September
The Chinese leader will be pushing hard for a trade deal with Trump when they meet and the key question being asked by analysts is – could this impact Taiwan?
China has been testing the US and its allies in the South China Sea and is increasingly encroaching in the waters and skies around the self-governing island of Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its own.
Washington is Taipei’s most important security backer and has sold billions of dollars’ worth of arms to Taiwan that the island would use to fend off a potential Chinese attack. Trump has questioned these sales and even claimed they could be used as a bargaining chip in talks with China. He has also delayed $14bn worth of weapons sales to the island.
Could Xi offer Trump an attractive trade deal and in return ask for the US to soften its stance on Taiwan?
It’s worth noting that the Communist Party has also become more savvy when it comes to dealing with Washington.
The government in Beijing knows that making a deal with one White House doesn’t mean it will have the same deal with the next one.
Some analysts believe Xi also won’t want to put too much pressure on an unpredictable US president just in case it backfires.
Source: www.bbc.com
