Those who defend it are academics who believe that Donald Trump may try to sabotage Chinese-American relations
With the battle for the U.S. presidency likely to continue for some time, regardless of the official outcome, academics heard by the South China Morning Post say there may be an increase in tensions between the U.S. and China on issues such as Taiwan and the South Sea of China before the inauguration in January.
Wu Xinbo, director of the Center for American Studies at Fudan University in Shanghai, said the government led by Donald Trump is expected to continue to confront China on political, diplomatic and economic issues.
And that, he argues, could include labeling the persecution of the Muslim Uighur minority in Xinjiang as “genocide”, as well as imposing more sanctions on Chinese companies or providing more support to Taiwan. “Trump blamed China for the spread of the pandemic and may think it cost him the election,” says Wu.
In the months leading up to the election, several Chinese experts expressed concern that Trump’s tactics against China heralded a dangerous period in the relationship between the two countries and that tensions could peak if the incumbent president lost the House. White.
Liu Yawei, program director Carter Center China, said in August that relations between China and the United States could enter their “most unstable period” between November 3 and January 20, and asked both sides to show containment, precisely, in the South China Sea and Taiwan.
