“The two surviving terrorists are being returned to their Countries of origin, Ecuador and Colombia, for detention and prosecution,” U.S. President Trump said on Truth Social. File.
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China’s relations with Japan, India and other countries are improving as former U.S. President Joe Biden courted, just as Donald Trump brings his more unilateralist approach back to the White House.

The change of leadership in Washington on Monday could be an opportunity for China, which has long railed against Biden’s strategy of building partnerships with “like-minded countries” to counter its growing influence.

Mr. Biden reinvigorated a grouping known as the Quad — the United States, India, Japan and Australia. China’s relations with all three of those U.S. partners are improving, as are its ties with Britain. The durability of Biden’s legacy is now in question. During his first term, Mr. Trump didn’t hesitate to challenge traditional U.S. partners.

“It is possible that Trump may drift away from U.S. allies, making them pay more attention to China’s role, and in fact it has provided a chance for China’s diplomacy,” said Wu Xinbo, dean of the Institute of International Studies at Fudan University in Shanghai. “I think we should grasp the chance.”

But U.S. National Security Council spokesperson Brian Hughes said that Trump “has a record of rallying the world toward a more competitive stance with China.” Trump agreed to a Free and Open Indo-Pacific strategy that Japan introduced during his first term and he backed excluding Chinese companies from telecom networks in the U.S. and many of its partners.

On Tuesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio — hours after he was sworn in — met with the Foreign Ministers of Australia, India and Japan in Washington, a move that suggested engaging the Quad countries and countering China’s influence will remain a priority for Trump.

Beijing’s rapprochement with the U.K. and Japan is in its early stages, and major differences remain that limit and could derail it.

India turned the page with China on a bitter border dispute last October but protested when Beijing created two new counties in an area claimed by both nations.

Still, new leaders in Australia, the U.K. and Japan have shown a desire to warm relations with China, the world’s largest manufacturer and a source of strategic minerals. The government in Beijing has reciprocated in part because it wants foreign investment to help revive its economy, which could be set back if Trump follows through on a threat to impose higher tariffs.

Chinese President Xi Jinping told European Council President Antonio Costa in a phone conversation last week that both sides could bring more “stability and certainty” to the turbulent global situation. China and Britain restarted economic and financial talks after a six-year hiatus when the U.K. Treasury chief visited Beijing this month.

“From China’s point of view, improving relations with American allies and increasing economic cooperation will offset the shock to China-U.S. economic relations,” Wu said.

In Washington, there’s a strong bipartisan consensus that the U.S. must prevail in its economic and tech rivalry with China to maintain its global leadership.

During his confirmation hearing, Rubio called China “the most potent and dangerous near-peer adversary this nation has ever confronted.” Biden kept the tariffs Trump levied on China and imposed more on Chinese electric cars and solar cells.

But unlike Biden, Trump has irked U.S. allies and partners with his recent remarks on possibly annexing Greenland, an autonomous territory of NATO ally Denmark, and making Canada the 51st American state.

Hal Brands, senior fellow at the Washington-based think tank American Enterprise Institute, said he believes some top strategists in Beijing are “salivating at the damage they think Trump is going to do to U.S. alliances and the opportunities this creates for Beijing to resurrect some of its relationships with … Japan and Europe that had moved in a very sharply anti-China direction since COVID.”

Trump’s rhetoric and attempts by adviser Elon Musk to interfere in British and German politics, “are certain to have a ripple effect,” said Sun Yun, director of the China program at the Stimson Center in Washington.

“Countries want to at the minimum keep their options open,” she said. “China is unlikely to be a better choice than the U.S., even under Trump, but it is important to find some counterbalance.”

China’s relations aren’t improving with every U.S. partner.

The Philippines complained recently about what it called a “monster” Chinese coast guard ship in nearby waters, and the foreign ministers of Japan and the Philippines said last week they would convey to Trump the urgent need for the U.S. to remain engaged in the region.

China and the Philippines did reach a temporary deal last July that has prevented further violent confrontations around Second Thomas Shoal, one of several outcroppings that both countries claim in the South China Sea.

Uncertainty about Trump’s policies is prompting both China and Japan to seek a stable relationship, said Taizo Miyagi, an expert on Japanese diplomacy at Chuo University in Tokyo.

A Japanese foreign minister has visited Beijing for the first time in seven years, and Chinese military officials were in Tokyo last week to resume defense exchanges after a five-year hiatus.

“In a way it is a Trump effect,” Miyagi said. “Many other countries are likely thinking the same and this could invigorate their diplomatic activities.”

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has sought to rebuild ties with Beijing since his Labour Party’s election victory last summer. It’s a marked shift from predecessor Rishi Sunak, who in 2022 declared an end to his country’s “golden era” of friendship with China.

In Britain’s case, Trump’s return may not be driving the rapprochement.

Many European leaders may not welcome Trump’s America-first agenda, “but the idea that as a result they will all kowtow to Beijing for more trade is fanciful thinking on the part of some of our Chinese friends,” said Steve Tsang, director of the SOAS China Institute at the University of London.

Most would prefer to remain partners with Washington. French President Emmanuel Macron, outlining his vision for global diplomacy in a New Year’s speech, declared that his country was “a solid ally” of Trump.

He and others hope that Trump will respond positively to their outreach. Much will depend on what path the returning U.S. president takes, and how the rest of the world reacts.

Ahead of Donald Trump’s swearing-in ceremony as the 47th President of the United States on Monday, an Ohio artist has unveiled a giant 15-foot-tall, $1 million bronze statute of the Republican leader. Titled “The Patriot Statue of Donald J. Trump,” the statue was created by sculptor Alan Cottrill. It depicts the Presdient-elect’s iconic moment from July 13, when he defiantly pumped his fist after surviving an assassination attempt during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. The statue will tour across the country before being displayed at a future Trump presidential library, the New York Post reported. 

The statue was commissioned by several dozen wealthy crypto-currency investors as a tribute to Donald Trump, who they hope will be a friend of the industry. “We’re so proud of the statue we all worked so hard to complete. It turned out exactly as planned and is truly fit to match the man it’s dedicated to! Larger Than Life!!!” crypto community Patriot Token wrote while sharing the picture of the bronze statue on X. 

Take a look below: 

The first image of the finished PATRIOT Statue of @realDonaldTrump was published today.

We’re so proud of the statue we all worked so hard to complete. It turned out exactly as planned and is truly fit to match the man it’s dedicated to!

Larger Than Life!!! pic.twitter.com/CycaYX0K5l

— Patriot Token (@Patriot_Erc20) January 18, 2025

The six-ton statute was commissioned just a week after the shooting, as per the Post. It is set to be unveiled at the Capital One Arena in Washington D.C, and It’s then expected to tour the country.

“People will be making a pilgrimage to see this thing. Trump has a fan base that I don’t think we’ve seen in a politician in a very long time,” said Brock Pierce, a crypto-billionaire who helped finance the project.

“We do expect President Trump to be with the statue at some point during the inauguration,” added Dustin Stockton, a conservative activist and unofficial spokesperson for the investors.

Notably, Donald Trump will formally return to the White House after his second inauguration as president of the United States on January 20. He won the US presidential elections with a landslide victory after defeating outgoing Vice President Kamala Harris. He is set to take over from the incumbent President Joe Biden.

 Along with Mr Trump, Vice President-elect JD Vance will also be sworn into office on Monday. This day, traditionally known as Inauguration Day, is marked by events filled with pomp and celebration. The inauguration day events will include a formal swearing-in ceremony, musical performances, a celebratory parade and several formal balls.