US-China

Research and Insights

National flags of China and the United States

US-China

Complicating security in Asia, Trumps sees China as a contingent, not a constant competitor

Claus Soong

Comment

Feb 17, 2026

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio meets China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Munich, Germany, Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.

China sees opportunities in global disorder

Helena Legarda

Comment

Feb 16, 2026

U.S. President Donald Trump, accompanied by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, attends a bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, accompanied by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, at Gimhae International Airport, on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, in Busan, South Korea, October 30, 2025.

Art of the struggle meets great power competition: Beijing’s approach to Trump 2.0

Claus Soong

Comment

Dec 17, 2025

Swimmers participate in the Victoria Harbour Race in Victoria Harbor on November 22, 2025 in Hong Kong

MERICS China Forecast 2026: High expectations for Chinese innovation, low expectations for relations with US and EU

Claus Soong

Niklas Hintermayer

Comment

Nov 26, 2025

US China policy under Trump 2.0, with George Yin

Podcast

Nov 07, 2025

U.S. President Donald Trump, left, greets Chinese President Xi Jinping, right, before a bilateral meeting at Gimhae Air Base, October 30, 2025, in Busan, South Korea.

Art of the deal meets great power politics: Trump 2.0’s approach to China

George Yin

Comment

Nov 07, 2025

Trump's trade talks and Europe (Brussels Sprouts podcast)

Mikko Huotari

External publication

Nov 07, 2025

Trump-Xi trade truce gives Europe one last chance to finally de-risk from China

Antonia Hmaidi

Comment

Nov 07, 2025

China in 25: Trump-Xi meeting, Germany-China relations and the next Five-Year Plan

Podcast

Oct 31, 2025

In this photo taken Tuesday, July 6, 2010, workers use machinery to dig at a rare earth mine in Baiyunebo mining district

What you now need to know about China’s expansion of REE export controls

Jacob Gunter

Altynay Junusova

Interview

Oct 15, 2025

The double-edged sword of semiconductor export controls: Electronic design automation (CSIS)

Altynay Junusova

External publication

Oct 06, 2025

China in 25: The US and China at the UN + TikTok deal + EUCCC position paper

Podcast

Oct 03, 2025

There’s been a shift in US-China tech competition – and it’s not good news for the rest of the world

Rebecca Arcesati

Antonia Hmaidi

Comment

Jul 07, 2025

US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, Li Chenggang, China International Trade Representative (full minister rank) and Vice Minister of Commerce, Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, left and right, they are preparing to discuss for the second day during a bilateral meeting between the United States and China, in Geneva, Switzerland, on Sunday, May 11, 2025.

China’s Trump playbook pays off, for now

Helena Legarda

Comment

Jul 02, 2025

Quest for strategic autonomy? Europe grapples with the US-China rivalry

Bernhard Bartsch

Alexander Davey

Claudia Wessling

Report

Jun 26, 2025

In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, center right, and U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, center left, pose for a group photo with delegations before their meeting to discuss China-U.S. trade, in London, Monday, June 9, 2025.

Between China and the US: Challenging times for liberal democracies

Charles Parton

Comment

Jun 23, 2025

Students proceed through Harvard Yard during commencement ceremonies at Harvard University, Thursday, May 29, 2025, in Cambridge, Mass.

Trump's international student bans + US-China relations + Rare earths

MERICS China Essentials

Jun 05, 2025

How China’s biotech is changing global ecosystems (Testimony before the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission)

Jeroen Groenewegen-Lau

External publication

Jun 05, 2025

China in 25: AI chips, national security and Chinese investments in Europe

Podcast

May 23, 2025

“China in 25”: US-China trade deal and Xi’s visit to Moscow

Podcast

May 13, 2025

US-China policy under Trump 2.0, with Thomas E. Kellogg

Podcast

May 09, 2025

“China in 25": Xi's travel diplomacy and China's economy in Q1

Podcast

Apr 25, 2025

The China-US trade war and implications for the EU, with Jacob Gunter

Podcast

Apr 24, 2025

"China in 25": The US-China trade war and China in the next German government's coalition agreement

Podcast

Apr 11, 2025

"China in 25": Tariffs and transatlantic challenges

Podcast

Feb 19, 2025

US-China trade war + Energy sector + Tech regulations

MERICS China Essentials

Feb 13, 2025

The page for the smartphone app DeepSeek is seen on a smartphone screen in Beijing, Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025.

DeepSeek + US China policy under Trump + Real estate

MERICS China Essentials

Jan 30, 2025

China and Trump's election victory, with Jude Blanchette and Katja Drinhausen

Podcast

Nov 22, 2024

Toward a transatlantic deal on China (Carnegie Europe)

Abigaël Vasselier

External publication

Nov 14, 2024

MERICS Media Briefing: Implications of Trump presendency for US and European China policy

Video

Nov 07, 2024

US citizens cast their votes during early voting for the Presidential General Election at polling station in Chicago, Illinois on November 3, 2024 ahead of the November 5th general election.

Chinese scholars highlight prolonged US-China competition

Alexander Davey

Comment

Nov 04, 2024

A man watches a TV screen showing a news report of the Chinese live-fire military exercises near Taiwan, at a restaurant in Taipei, Taiwan, on October 22, 2024.

What a Trump re-election would mean for Taiwan

Claus Soong

Comment

Nov 01, 2024

What’s next in US export controls targeting China, with Kevin Wolf and Rebecca Arcesati

Podcast

Oct 18, 2024

US-China AI competition + Deng Xiaoping's 120th birthday + South China Sea

MERICS China Essentials

Aug 29, 2024

The flags of China and the USA are being displayed on a smartphone, with an NVIDIA chip visible in the background.

Tech “choke-points” – the long-term side-effects for China and the US

Antonia Hmaidi

Wendy Chang

Comment

Feb 01, 2024

Xi and Biden’s APEC meet-up: Domestic win-win, geopolitical stalemate

MERICS China Essentials

Nov 23, 2023

The MIT China Strategy, with Michael Laha and Taylor Fravel

Podcast

Jun 02, 2023

Experts on US-China

Mikko Huotari

Executive Director

China’s foreign policy; China-Europe relations; global (economic) governance and competition

Helena Legarda

Head of Program

China’s defense and security policies; Chinese foreign policy, geopolitical competition and risk

Jacob Gunter

Head of Program

China's political economy; Industrial policy; Innovation

Claus Soong

Analyst

China’s foreign and security policy; Asia-Pacific; US-China

US-China

Complicating security in Asia, Trumps sees China as a contingent, not a constant competitor

China sees opportunities in global disorder

Art of the struggle meets great power competition: Beijing’s approach to Trump 2.0

MERICS China Forecast 2026: High expectations for Chinese innovation, low expectations for relations with US and EU

US China policy under Trump 2.0, with George Yin

Art of the deal meets great power politics: Trump 2.0’s approach to China

Trump's trade talks and Europe (Brussels Sprouts podcast)

Trump-Xi trade truce gives Europe one last chance to finally de-risk from China

China in 25: Trump-Xi meeting, Germany-China relations and the next Five-Year Plan

What you now need to know about China’s expansion of REE export controls

The double-edged sword of semiconductor export controls: Electronic design automation (CSIS)

China in 25: The US and China at the UN + TikTok deal + EUCCC position paper

There’s been a shift in US-China tech competition – and it’s not good news for the rest of the world

China’s Trump playbook pays off, for now

Quest for strategic autonomy? Europe grapples with the US-China rivalry

Between China and the US: Challenging times for liberal democracies

Trump's international student bans + US-China relations + Rare earths

How China’s biotech is changing global ecosystems (Testimony before the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission)

China in 25: AI chips, national security and Chinese investments in Europe

“China in 25”: US-China trade deal and Xi’s visit to Moscow

US-China policy under Trump 2.0, with Thomas E. Kellogg

“China in 25": Xi's travel diplomacy and China's economy in Q1

The China-US trade war and implications for the EU, with Jacob Gunter

"China in 25": The US-China trade war and China in the next German government's coalition agreement

"China in 25": Tariffs and transatlantic challenges

US-China trade war + Energy sector + Tech regulations

DeepSeek + US China policy under Trump + Real estate

China and Trump's election victory, with Jude Blanchette and Katja Drinhausen

Toward a transatlantic deal on China (Carnegie Europe)

MERICS Media Briefing: Implications of Trump presendency for US and European China policy

Chinese scholars highlight prolonged US-China competition

What a Trump re-election would mean for Taiwan

What’s next in US export controls targeting China, with Kevin Wolf and Rebecca Arcesati

US-China AI competition + Deng Xiaoping's 120th birthday + South China Sea

Tech “choke-points” – the long-term side-effects for China and the US

Xi and Biden’s APEC meet-up: Domestic win-win, geopolitical stalemate

The MIT China Strategy, with Michael Laha and Taylor Fravel

Mikko Huotari

Helena Legarda

Jacob Gunter

Claus Soong

Become a member

Digitalization of China’s auto industry + Concentrated solar power + Innovation points system