China Says It Will Continue to Uphold and Implement U.S.-China Summit Agreements Following Trump's Midterm Defeat

▲ The U.S. and Chinese leaders meeting in Busan last October

As the opposition Democratic Party has secured majorities in both the Senate and the House of Representatives in the U.S. midterm elections, the Chinese government has expressed its hope that the agreements reached between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping will be maintained and implemented.

During a regular press briefing on November 4, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning stated in response to a question about the U.S. midterms, "The midterm elections are an internal affair of the United States," before adding, "China is willing to work with the United States to continue to properly uphold and implement the important consensus reached by the heads of state of both countries."

Mao further added, "We are willing to strengthen communication, properly manage differences, and expand cooperation to build a constructive, strategic, and stable relationship between China and the U.S. based on mutual respect, fairness, and equality."

During the first year of the "Trump 2.0" administration last year, the United States and China exchanged high tariffs, export controls, and corporate sanctions. However, they subsequently moved to manage relations—including a truce in their trade war—by holding consecutive summit meetings in Busan last October, Beijing this May, and Washington, D.C. last September.

China counts the agreement to build a "constructive, strategic, and stable relationship," which was reached at the May summit and reaffirmed at the September summit, as one of President Xi's signature diplomatic achievements.

The core of the agreement is that both nations recognize each other's equal footing and respect each other's core interests.

Building upon this agreement, China has been attempting to reduce U.S. influence on key issues, including the Taiwan issue, which it considers the "core of its core interests."

Some experts within China also forecast that the Democratic Party's victory in the midterms could become a variable in U.S. policy toward Taiwan.

According to the Chinese media outlet The Paper, Chen Dongxiao, president of the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies, noted that while the fundamental U.S. policy toward China is unlikely to be completely overturned—given that the executive branch holds greater discretionary power than Congress over foreign affairs—the U.S. Congress could exert stronger pressure to push for arms sales to Taiwan.

(Photo: Yonhap News)

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