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Wu Xinbo on why Trump’s ‘America first’ foreign policy may be driving China’s rise

Wu Xinbo is the dean of the Institute of International Studies at Fudan University in Shanghai and a leading Chinese researcher on the US. In…

By Samantha Johnson / July 5, 2026

Wu Xinbo is the dean of the Institute of International Studies at Fudan University in Shanghai and a leading Chinese researcher on the US. In this interview, he analyses how shifts in US foreign policy are changing the relationship between the two countries.

This interview first appeared in SCMP Plus. For other interviews in the Open Questions series, click here.

As the United States celebrates its 250th anniversary, how do you assess US foreign policy and the future direction of its relations with China?

Simply put, US foreign policy in Donald Trump’s second term is currently shifting back in the direction of pragmatic realism. It redefines Washington’s foreign policy goals based on American power, seeks a more appropriate repositioning for the US in a multipolar world and redesigns America’s foreign strategy.

Therefore, at this historical juncture of the 250th anniversary of the nation’s founding, US foreign policy is in an important period of adjustment.

In terms of China-US relations, after the manoeuvring between the two sides over the past year, combined with the Trump administration’s overall realist foreign policy mindset, I believe China-US relations are moving towards a development that emphasises process management and pursues dynamic stability.

Could you please elaborate on what you mean by ‘process management’?

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