Beyond the midterms: after the smoke clears, China hawks will remain the rule in Washington
- If Democrats regain control of Congress, many Trump policies might come under fire. A tough stance on Beijing won’t be one of them, analysts say
Many of US President Donald Trump's controversial policies could face more formidable resistance after the country’s midterm elections on Tuesday – which pollsters say could result in a strong comeback by the Democratic Party – but his tough stance against China will likely remain intact.
Since the two largest economies started to apply punitive tariffs on each other’s exports in July, some scholars in China have speculated that Trump – confronted by a “blue wave” coming out of the November elections, which the president called “a referendum about me” – would end up ensnared more tightly in partisan politics and see his China policies challenged, too.
But while the two parties are highly split over immigration, medical care, fiscal and economic issues, their divide on China policies is much narrower, according to former US officials and analysts.
“Both sides are waiting for the midterms, but it's not going to change the trajectory of the relations,” said Christopher Johnson, the Freeman Chair in China Studies at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies.
“I hear from too many Chinese that things will change after the midterms. That's probably misinformed.”
The US midterm elections take place on Tuesday, with all 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 35 of the 100 seats in the Senate up for contesting.