Brian Wong, Assistant Professor in Philosophy and Fellow at Centre on Contemporary China and the World, HKU and Rhodes Scholar
Mar 14, 2025
Trump’s foreign policy moves have been polarizing to say the least - but with competing voices within his own cabinet involved, the strongman approach may not be the ultimate outcome of the early administration’s moves.
Christopher A. McNally, Professor of Political Economy, Chaminade University
Mar 07, 2025
Trump’s return creates uncertainty for Beijing, with potential economic risks from renewed tariffs and trade restrictions. While there are some prospects for relations to get better, the unpredictable nature of Trump’s policies and Washington’s internal challenges could also lead to further volatility between the U.S. and China.
Wang Youming, Senior Research Fellow of BRICS Economic Think Tank, Tsinghua University
Mar 07, 2025
Challenges presented by Donald Trump, including tariffs and withdrawal from global leadership, give BRICS countries a chance to build a cooperation platform for the Global South and a to create a new channel for international discourse.
Philip Cunningham, Independent Scholar
Mar 07, 2025
Trump’s Oval Office ambush of Ukrainian President Zelensky highlights the unpredictability and volatility of U.S. diplomacy under his second term—an unsettling prospect for China as it prepares for a potential Trump-Xi summit. With Trump emboldened and increasingly unpredictable, China may face new challenges in navigating an engagement with a leader who thrives on disruption.
Zhang Yun, Professor, School of International Relations, Nanjing University
Mar 05, 2025
The future for European countries hinges on maintaining competitiveness and growth while safeguarding the quality of life of their citizens. The shock delivered by Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin could hasten Europe’s long-overdue strategic awakening.
Brian Wong, Assistant Professor in Philosophy and Fellow at Centre on Contemporary China and the World, HKU and Rhodes Scholar
Mar 04, 2025
Peter Hegseth’s inability to name an ASEAN country underscores the Trump administration’s broader indifference to Southeast Asia, favoring trade protectionism, military burden-shifting, and transactional diplomacy over sustained regional engagement.
Ghulam Ali, Deputy Director, Hong Kong Research Center for Asian Studies
Mar 04, 2025
The Asia-Pacific region began to exhibit signs of easing major geopolitical tensions in late 2024, but has started to heat up again following President Trump’s return to power in the White House. During the ‘easing’ period, although low-level disputes persisted in the vast region, in the South China Sea, and in cross-strait relations, the risk of a conflict involving regional heavyweights was not imminent.
Chen Jimin, Guest Researcher, Center for Peace and Development Studies, China Association for International Friendly Contact
Feb 21, 2025
It may be dangerous to be America’s enemy, but to be America’s friend may be fatal. For both, reassessing the conventional perception of U.S. diplomacy to explore the inner logic of Trump 2.0 foreign policy is a thorny task under the unpredictable new president.
Zhang Yun, Professor, School of International Relations, Nanjing University
Feb 21, 2025
U.S. allies in the long run are expected to pursue greater strategic autonomy, which means defining their national interests outside of American influence. Their policies toward China are therefore likely to continue evolving in a pragmatic and nuanced direction.
Stephen Roach, Senior Fellow, Yale University
Feb 13, 2025
It’s impossible to predict the outcome of a random experiment. Yet that is the task that awaits us as we try to make sense of another Donald Trump era.