During his presidency, Donald Trump pursued a confrontational approach towards China on a range of issues, including trade, intellectual property theft, human rights, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

One of Trump’s key policies towards China was to impose tariffs on Chinese imports to the United States, in an effort to reduce the US trade deficit with China and protect American jobs. Trump also accused China of engaging in unfair trade practices, such as currency manipulation and theft of intellectual property, and sought to negotiate a more favorable trade deal with the country.

In addition, Trump took a hardline stance on China’s human rights record, particularly its treatment of Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang and pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong. He signed legislation supporting the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong, and imposed sanctions on Chinese officials and companies involved in human rights abuses.

Finally, Trump blamed China for the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, which he often referred to as the “China virus” or “Wuhan virus”. He accused China of covering up the outbreak in its early stages and failing to take adequate measures to contain it, and imposed travel restrictions on China early in the pandemic.