Exactly two months after the beginning of Trump’s second administration, the first American diplomatic visit to China—its major rival—took place. Although the visitor was not Trump himself, who had hinted since taking office at his intention to visit the Asian superpower, it was certainly someone considered close to him—Senator Steve Daines. During Trump’s first term, Daines voted in line with Trump in no less than 86% of the votes and publicly supported him during the impeachment attempt.
The choice of Senator Daines, who even met with Trump at the White House before the flight for message coordination, is akin to sending an olive branch to the Chinese. Before entering politics, Daines lived in Hong Kong and China for six years as part of his role at the giant corporation Procter & Gamble, where he established numerous factories, which later led to criticism for allegedly transferring jobs from the United States to China. More importantly, he supports strong ties with China and was involved in negotiating the China–US trade agreement signed during Trump’s first term.
Daines’s visit, accompanied by CEOs of seven major American companies, signals to China that the Trump administration is interested in continuing economic relations between the superpowers and even in a new trade agreement—after all, the first official American representative to visit the country is one of the architects of the previous agreement. Moreover, the Trump administration has so far focused on imposing tariffs on European, Canadian, and Mexican goods and has avoided tariffs that would severely affect the Chinese economy. It seems that senior Chinese officials view the situation similarly: The meeting with the senator was led by China’s prime minister—responsible for the economic matters—and not the foreign minister. As expected, the prime minister focused on the benefits of economic cooperation between the countries and the need to avoid a trade war.
Furthermore, the focus on the fight against fentanyl trafficking—a topic on which both superpowers can cooperate—instead of contentious issues like Taiwan and the South China Sea, might indicate the Trump administration’s current approach toward China. China is also interested in cooperation on the fentanyl issue and even issued a white paper on the subject at the beginning of March 2025, citing and relying on official US data.
The message from the visit seems clear—both sides are interested in pushing aside controversial security and political issues and focusing on cooperation and trade.
Exactly two months after the beginning of Trump’s second administration, the first American diplomatic visit to China—its major rival—took place. Although the visitor was not Trump himself, who had hinted since taking office at his intention to visit the Asian superpower, it was certainly someone considered close to him—Senator Steve Daines. During Trump’s first term, Daines voted in line with Trump in no less than 86% of the votes and publicly supported him during the impeachment attempt.
The choice of Senator Daines, who even met with Trump at the White House before the flight for message coordination, is akin to sending an olive branch to the Chinese. Before entering politics, Daines lived in Hong Kong and China for six years as part of his role at the giant corporation Procter & Gamble, where he established numerous factories, which later led to criticism for allegedly transferring jobs from the United States to China. More importantly, he supports strong ties with China and was involved in negotiating the China–US trade agreement signed during Trump’s first term.
Daines’s visit, accompanied by CEOs of seven major American companies, signals to China that the Trump administration is interested in continuing economic relations between the superpowers and even in a new trade agreement—after all, the first official American representative to visit the country is one of the architects of the previous agreement. Moreover, the Trump administration has so far focused on imposing tariffs on European, Canadian, and Mexican goods and has avoided tariffs that would severely affect the Chinese economy. It seems that senior Chinese officials view the situation similarly: The meeting with the senator was led by China’s prime minister—responsible for the economic matters—and not the foreign minister. As expected, the prime minister focused on the benefits of economic cooperation between the countries and the need to avoid a trade war.
Furthermore, the focus on the fight against fentanyl trafficking—a topic on which both superpowers can cooperate—instead of contentious issues like Taiwan and the South China Sea, might indicate the Trump administration’s current approach toward China. China is also interested in cooperation on the fentanyl issue and even issued a white paper on the subject at the beginning of March 2025, citing and relying on official US data.
The message from the visit seems clear—both sides are interested in pushing aside controversial security and political issues and focusing on cooperation and trade.