Diplomacy or rivalry? Wise choices are needed if US-China ties are to pass the Trump test

US President-elect Donald Trump is ­assembling his cabinet before taking office on January 20. Now those around the world who were stunned at his election want to see how Trump will run the country, especially how he handles the all-important relationship with China.

Relations are at a critical juncture because of widespread calls in Washington for a tougher China policy. American displeasure towards Beijing stems from China’s drastically increased economic and military clout during the Obama years, with experts predicting that its economy will become the world’s largest in the 2020s.

Many believe Washington has failed to integrate a rising China into the US-led world system that champions democracy and a market economy; so China not only threatens the US dollar but also US dogma.

Trump vows to withdraw from Trans-Pacific Partnership ‘on day one’

When bidding for the White House, Trump often pounded China. Last November, he wrote in The Wall Street Journal that, “On day one of a Trump administration, the US Treasury Department will designate China a currency manipulator.” He also vowed to slap 45 per cent tariffs on imports from China.