Abstract
The re-election of Donald Trump as President of the United States in January 2025 has introduced a new wave of aggressive trade protectionism, reshaping the global economic landscape. This paper investigates the implications of Trump’s renewed trade and economic strategies for China’s economic governance. Specifically, it examines how escalating external economic and trade risks affect the structural logic of China’s economic policymaking and institutional responses. The study first provides an overview of the key trade and industrial policies introduced by the Trump administration, analyzing their immediate and longer-term impacts on both global markets and China’s economic and industrial sectors. It then explores the Chinese government’s evolving governance strategies in response, including industrial restructuring, supply chain integration, and macroeconomic regulatory adjustments. The paper further discusses the policy dilemmas and governance challenges China may face in navigating this increasingly uncertain external environment. Findings suggest that Trump’s policies have not only intensified external pressures on China but also prompted a recalibration of its domestic economic governance priorities. The study contributes to the broader understanding of how great-power competition reshapes national economic governance models.