US President Donald Trump met in London to present a united front to support him two days after the Ukrainian leader Volodimier Zelanski at the White House on Live Television. They agreed to plans to achieve peace in Ukraine with some safety guarantee, although they still want the US to provide military support.
Trump has so far refused to commit a major reason for the bust-up in the oval office on Friday. Unlike the strong performance of Europeans’ support for Zelanski, Trump is still very angry with him and has now stopped military aid in Ukraine. It was said by the Ukrainian leader that the end of war with Russia is “very, far away”.
Trump’s shock and amazement foreign policy has scratched analysts since returning to power less than six weeks ago. Why is he leaving Ukraine, hugging Russia, and is putting his back on a coalition of Western liberal democracy, which has successfully worked on a large scale under the US leadership since Second World War?
What is the interpretation of the imperialist announcements of them to take Greenland and Panama Canal, which is an aggressive push for a deal on important minerals with Ukraine and applies tariffs on many countries?
Elephant in the room: China
A clear explanation of Trump’s actions and announcements is that he is fulfilling the promise of his US first policy campaign. His priority is also clear for strong people like Russian President, Vladimir Putin. Trump is not a fan of the European Union, he is also famous.
But look closely, and you will find China at the core of their new foreign policy. Consider Trump’s statements and shocking pronunciation, and combine them with some less promoted tasks done in the last five weeks, and you will find a clear pattern emerging. Unlike European leaders, who still see Russia as a major threat to their safety, Trump concludes that the main threat to the US comes from China, which is after the world’s second largest economy. He does not name Beijing in this context, but speaks for himself.
Western sanctions against Russia on Ukraine’s invasion in 2022 forced Putin to seek Chinese’s help, leading to more than 26% in their bilateral trade in a year. Although bilateral trade did not grow in the next two years, Moscow still worked to separate and punish Russia, led by banks, then Biden, as West on Beijing.
Dismantle
Trump Chinese President Xi Jinping’s lap is eager to pull Vladimir Putin, such as Nixon removed China from the Soviet Union in the 1970s. He believes that continuing a Cold War with Russia in the 21st century does not make sense when it does not directly threaten America.
He wants to rebuild US-Russia relations, some also interested in Putin. Already talking about reading Putin at G -7 times, once a peace deal on Ukraine has ended -Trump’s important goal of Trump despite last Friday’s events in Washington. Of course, Europeans still feel that Moscow under Putin is a threat to their safety. They warns that let him win in Ukraine will only hug him.
Why is China ‘main’ threat?
The new US administration strongly believes, and without reason, that it is China that is their main opponent, and that it uses unfair trade practices to take advantage of America, illegally tries to achieve American technology to carry forward its military and industrial program, and is a serious threat to its safety.
Trump also believes that China has exploited globalization for its benefit. It uses the state -owned corporations which are heavy subsidy by the government to enter the markets of other countries including the US. They also invest in important industries in America, while stopping American firms from doing the same in China.
A week ago, a presidential document called ‘America First Investment Policy’ signed by Trump warns that “PRC-limited investors are targeting the Crown Jewels of the United States technology, food supply, farms, minerals, natural resources, ports and shipping terminals”. The document promises to “establish new rules” to prevent this.
Minerals, minerals everywhere
Trump’s main concern, however, is the control of critical minerals in China, including graphite, lithium, cobalt and copper, used in electric car batteries, nuclear power, medical equipment, clean energy products and weapons. China controls refinement of more than 60% of these minerals and up to 90% of them. The United States imports 41 of the 50 important minerals listed by the US Geological Survey. China is the largest producer of 29 of them and making them rapid weapons by imposing export control and ban.
It explains Trump’s efforts to secure the supply of these minerals from Ukraine and other places. Ukraine has a deposit of more than 20 of the 50 important minerals, including large deposits of titanium, which are used to make aircraft feathers and other aviation products.
Ukraine also has the largest uranium deposits in Europe. Therefore, no wonder Trump still wants to sign a deal with Kiev for these minerals, despite the screaming match at the Oval Office on Friday. Zelansky said on Sunday that Ukraine is also ready to sign the deal.
Greenland and Panama Dreams
China is harvesting important minerals in other parts of the world, despite the big reserves at home. It has been active in Greenland since 2013, when the island canceled the law prohibiting radioactive materials and mining of rare earth elements. It has rare Earth minerals, lithium, graphite, copper, nickel, zinc and huge reserves of other materials used in green technologies. Trump does not want these minerals to be exploited by China and is eager to get the region.
China is also a factor in the interest of the Trump administration in handling the US-made Panama Canal. In the last few years there has been an increase in Chinese shipping activity, which the US sees as a threat to its safety.
Fantenal flood
The first set of tariffs declared by Trump was against Canada, Mexico and China. But they were not an attempt to address the trade deficit – they were mainly motivated by the need to curb the import of an opioid drug, which he says, mainly from China. It is 50 times more powerful than heroin and is largely responsible for the opioid crisis in the US.
Within 10 days of returning to power, he said what he said to a opening Salvo, Trump, 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico, and 10% on all Chinese imports in the US. Tariffs on Canada and Mexico were suspended for a month, but remained against China. Beijing reacted with its set of tariffs, which included restricting the supply of 25 important minerals, not surprisingly.
Now Trump has doubled the tariff on China, saying that the Chinese -made phenomenal is still coming to the US.
Deep worry with lampsak
China’s Open-SUS AI application, Deepsek, was released a month ago, being seen as the latest step of Beijing in Washington to reduce technical dominance and safety in cyberspace. Two Republican members have also proposed a bill to ban the app.
The lamp is cheap, does not use high-end chips, and more energy is efficient. However, the US Center for Strategic and International Studies warned that “while the open-source model can be built with a strong security guardril, when the design of the lampsac allows users to change not only its functionalities but also its security system, which raises a great risk of exploitation”.
Many American agencies, such as NASA and the US Navy, have asked employees not to use Deepsek due to national security concerns. Trump has signed an executive order, asking his officials to prepare an action plan on AI within 180 days.
Beijing is now more ready
Trump had announced a Sleeve of tariff against China in his first term, after which the Biden administration also imposed itself. But China has only tightened its stance and is now ready to respond to such pressures. Before Trump started his second term, Beijing announced an ambargo on four important minerals in the United States. It also ordered four government trade associations to direct their companies to avoid buying American computer chips. Additionally, it announced new rules in favor of foreign companies that make their products in China.
Beijing is also pressurizing major American companies not to transfer their production facilities to India, including Apple’s main construction partner, Foxconn. As financial Times, Chinese authorities have made it difficult for Taiwan to send machinery and Chinese experts to India, where Apple is eager to create its supply chain.
Measures, more measures
On its first day at the office, Trump was one of the signed documents ‘American first trade policy’, which directed the authorities to review the US-China trade relations, to take a new look at the previous agreements to find out if Beijing has complied with his terms, and studied new measures against the country.
As new York TimesTrump has also changed some officers in the Department of Commerce. For example, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Export Administration, Matthew S. Borman has been removed, and has been brought to the Landon Heids, who have advocated strict sanctions on sale to Chinese technology companies, while Chinese technology companies have advocated.
The US President has also announced tariffs on targeted steel imports mainly in China. In another action, his administration proposed to apply a $ 1.5 million levy on Chinese -made ships arriving at American ports. 20% of all the vessels arriving at American ports are built in China.
Trump’s action against China can cause economic pain and fuel inflation. However, he believes that short -term pain is better than the dependence on China; It also fits in his national security story.
Benefits of India?
American measures may encourage other countries to review their policy towards China and its state-owned firms. Although Europeans still see Russia as their main strategic threat, there is a growing belief that China is also a major opponent. But as the turmoil of the global stock market has been revealed in recent weeks, the China-US trade war will affect the international economy.
India is definitely watching development closely in Washington. A melting in Russia-US relations is a welcome signal for New Delhi, which is concerned about being more dependent on Moscow Beijing since the Ukraine conflict.
China will try to improve relations with India, but India well knows that it is not a reliable partner. Beijing, after all, is the main strategic enemy of New Delhi and a security challenge. India has also suffered from its efforts to disrupt the supply chains of important ingredients of pharma and other products.
Following Trump’s meeting in Washington on 13 February with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the two leaders announced a new US-India program strategic mineral recovery initiative to fix and process important minerals.
As one of the top five producers of important minerals, India is part of the mineral security partnership with the United States and is eager to take advantage of American technical expertise to process them.
Putin is happy, but cautious
The Kremlin is clearly happy with Trump’s overstitcher and Zelanceci’s treatment towards Moscow. Despite allegations by his critics that he is now bid for Putin, Trump is ready to continue with his new foreign policy. Generalization of relationships with Moscow will help us return to Russia to return to Russia, causing some disadvantages from the trade war with China.
Putin, however, is very smart to rely on the new US administration. He is not in a hurry to leave China, although he will take advantage of Trump’s quarrel. She is also eager to maintain her country’s strong relationship with Xi Moscow. Of course, his government will work on retaliatory steps against the measures taken by Washington.
(Naresh Kaushik is former Editor of Associated Press and BBC News and is located in London)
Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author
