Trump Watch: Warum ist Donald Trump plötzlich so China-zahm?

Donald Trump had portrayed China as the greatest economic threat to the United States for years and threatened aggressive steps upon his inauguration last year. However, before the visit of President Xi Jinping to Washington on September 24th, he surprisingly shifted towards relaxation. Trump publicly praises Xi, and both sides discuss extending a trade pause, agricultural purchases, Boeing aircraft, and access to critical resources.

Despite the reconciliatory tone, strategic rivalry remains. Dana Heide, Washington correspondent for Handelsblatt, lowers expectations for the summit: "The best we can get from the summit is a continuation, a stabilization of this temporary peace on the trade level." Christian Lammert, co-host of Trump-Watch and professor of American politics at FU Berlin, sees this as typical Trump's approach: "It's not really about solving problems.

He tries to instrumentalize it and gains capital domestically from it." The recording took place on Wednesday, September 16th. In this week's Trump News, we've addressed the topic of Fed interest rate hikes. In this week's Trump News, we've addressed the topic of Fed interest rate hikes. Listen now every Thursday, with the focus of Trump-Watch on Saturdays.

Moderation: Nicole Bastian and Christian Lammert. Production: René Gorny. Exclusive subscription offer for all listeners of Handelsblatt Trump Watch: https://www.handelsblatt.com/trump. If you have comments, questions, criticism, or praise for this episode, please email us at trump-watch@handelsblatt.com. For further information on ad placements, visit our website.