Beijing presses “strategic autonomy” as Ottawa seeks trade relief and a reset after years of strained ties and US tariff pressure.

Big accompanying U.S. press pool may help Americans understand China's current strengths: U.S.-China Business Council President Sean Stein

BEIJING/GENEVA/WASHINGTON, Jan 12 (Reuters) - When U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent described China's lead trade negotiator Li Chenggang as "unhinged" for breaching diplomatic niceties shortly before a critical summit in October, he painted a picture of an erratic junior bureaucrat who had "gone rogue."

China is often portrayed in Washington as a revisionist power seeking global dominance, but this view misreads Beijing’s intentions. China’s leaders remain focused on domestic stability, economic management and long-standing sovereignty claims rather than military expansion or replacing the United States.

In January 2025, when the Trump administration froze nearly all foreign aid, more than 1,000 emergency communal kitchens in Sudan shut down within weeks.

China imported a record volume of soybeans in 2025, as buyers sharply increased purchases from South America amid fears of supply shortfalls if a trade war with Washington persisted.

China has pushed back against US claims over Greenland, urging Washington not to use other countries as a pretext to advance its own strategic interests. The response comes as US President Donald Trump renews his push to acquire the Arctic island,