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

Industry, allies and partners face tough choices as US-China tech war escalates

Rebecca Arcesati

Antonia Hmaidi

Comment

Oct 20, 2022

Global views on China, with Helena Legarda and Jacob Gunter

Podcast

Sep 02, 2022

Brigade under the Eastern Theater Command_Fujian province_Aug22

The next Hong Kong: Beijing’s vision for Taiwan

Helena Legarda

Antonia Hmaidi

Jacob Gunter

Nis Grünberg

China Security and Risk Tracker

Aug 31, 2022

Beyond blocs: global views on China and US-China relations

Jacob Gunter

Helena Legarda

Anu Anwar

Pamela Aróstica Fernández

Evi Fitriani

Oyuna Baldakova

Oscar M. Otele

Abdul-Gafar Tobi Oshodi

Naser Al-Tamimi

Kadir Temiz

Report

Aug 18, 2022

A TV news shows a map marking the areas where China is conducting live fire exercises near Taiwan, at a beauty salon in Taipei, Taiwan, Thursday, Aug 4, 2022

Taiwan tensions

MERICS China Essentials

Aug 11, 2022

Workers from China Railway No.2 Engineering Group (CREC-2) weld the first seamless rails for the China-Laos railway in the northern suburb of Vientiane, Laos, on June 18, 2020

Growing US-China rivalry in Africa, Latin America and Southeast Asia: Implications for the EU

Matt Ferchen

Report

Mar 24, 2022

A woman on her electric-powered scooter films a large video screen outside a shopping mall showing Chinese President Xi Jinping speaking during an event to commemorate the 100th anniversary of China's Communist Party at Tiananmen Square in Beijing

Bottom-up public discourse in a top-down system

Nis Grünberg

Comment

Feb 17, 2022

China's nuclear fusion device 'HL-2M' tokamak, nicknamed the 'Artificial Sun'

China's slow path towards science and technology leadership

Kai von Carnap

Comment

Feb 02, 2022

Cop26 - Glasgow. US President Joe Biden greets European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen

EU-China Opinion Pool: Transatlantic cooperation on China

Comment

Jan 28, 2022

“Westernized” patriots defend China’s model

Valarie Tan

Comment

Jan 26, 2022

US President Joe Biden at EU -USA Summit in Brussels, Belgium on June 15, 2021.

Strategic rivalry with China and Biden’s transatlantic promise

Michael Laha

Comment

Jan 20, 2022

Aerial view of the fishermen working at a fishing area where photovoltaic power panels are used to generate power in Wuzhou city, south China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region

Green-tech rivalry will complicate US-China climate cooperation

Nis Grünberg

Comment

Jan 19, 2022

A Long March-2F Y12 rocket carrying a crew of Chinese astronauts in a Shenzhou-12 spaceship lifts off at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Jiuquan in northwestern China, Thursday, June 17, 2021

Winning the tech war with Chinese characteristics

Valarie Tan

Comment

Jan 13, 2022

Group of Chinese flags standing next to lectern in the conference hall. 3D illustration.

China’s defense against the war of words

Comment

Jan 05, 2022

Blurred USA, China and EU flags together on black background

Europe and the US: From divergence to convergence on China?

Plamen Tonchev

Comment

Dec 06, 2021

U.S. President Joe Biden, Italy's Prime Minister Mario Draghi, France's President Emmanuel Macron, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen

Mind the Gap: Priorities for Transatlantic China Policy

Bernhard Bartsch

Mikko Huotari

Jan Weidenfeld

Report

Jul 14, 2021

Ursula von der Leyen, Joe Biden, Charles Michel

EU-US Trade and Technology Council will be a litmus test for transatlantic coordination on China

Rebecca Arcesati

Grzegorz Stec

MERICS Europe China 360°

Jun 30, 2021

China fights back against Western sanctions and blacklists

MERICS China Essentials

Jun 11, 2021

China's toolkit against sanctions + Shaping global narratives + Three-child policy

MERICS China Essentials

Jun 10, 2021

30066750_USChina_Finance_Relation-Opinion

US-China finance relations: quietly flows the Dollar

Maximilian Kärnfelt

Comment

May 11, 2021

The EU, China and America: Hanging in, by their teeth and nails

Hanns W. Maull

Comment

Apr 13, 2021

Beijing’s foreign policy priorities

Jacob Mardell

Comment

Apr 12, 2021

Likeminded coordination boosted, with Chinese pushback

MERICS China Essentials

Mar 26, 2021

Sanctions + China-Russia relations + Financial reforms

MERICS China Essentials

Mar 25, 2021

The European Union, China and America - clinging on by their fingernails (AmCham Shanghai)

Hanns W. Maull

External publication

Mar 08, 2021

Towards 'extreme competition': Mapping the contours of US-China relations under the Biden administration

Matt Ferchen

Report

Feb 10, 2021

Header Foto 210128 China Briefing 2/2021 Top Story

Biden officials stake out hawkish positions on China, Xi pushes back

MERICS China Essentials

Jan 28, 2021

China versus USA (Internationale Politik)

Hanns W. Maull

External publication

Jan 01, 2021

A state of uncertainty: China’s reaction to US election betrays its fears

Valarie Tan

Comment

Nov 19, 2020

Philippe Le Corre: “Biden’s election will restore close transatlantic cooperation”

Interview

Nov 12, 2020

Chinese President Xi Jinping shakes hands with US Vice President Joe Biden inside the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, 2013.

Beijing uncertain about what a Biden win means for China

MERICS China Essentials

Nov 12, 2020

Trump loses, Biden wins – and Xi remains on notice

François Chimits

Comment

Nov 12, 2020

Matt Ferchen: US-China relations after the US presidential election

Podcast

Nov 10, 2020

Is China right to bet on inevitable US decline?

Matt Ferchen

Comment

Nov 02, 2020

woman wearing a face mask that says, 'I Blame China' awaits the arrival of Tiffany Trump

The competition over competitiveness: US-China relations and the US presidential elections

Matt Ferchen

Comment

Nov 02, 2020

Fresh need for 'peaceful coexistence' (Nikkei Asia)

Hanns W. Maull

Oct 04, 2020

TikTok and the US-China tech dispute

MERICS China Essentials

Sep 24, 2020

Resilience and decoupling in the era of great power competition

Torsten Riecke

Report

Aug 20, 2020

US borrows from Beijing’s playbook to decouple the Internet from China

MERICS China Essentials

Aug 13, 2020

"How dangerous is TikTok?" (Der Tagesspiegel)

Kai von Carnap

Aug 07, 2020

US campaign against Chinese vendors: The Global 5G Contest Escalates

John Lee

Comment

Aug 06, 2020

America’s China syndrome

Hanns W. Maull

Comment

Aug 03, 2020

„The strategic conflict of our times“ (Steingarts Morning Briefing – Podcast)

Mikko Huotari

Jul 23, 2020

As bilateral relations between America and China continue to deteriorate, pundits seem to be converging on a “new type of Cold War” as the most plausible scenario for future world politics. Picture by gioiak2 via 123rf.

Will American and Chinese Societies Support a New Type of Cold War?

Hanns W. Maull

Matt Ferchen

Comment

Jun 19, 2020

Staying out of the neighborly quarrel between the US and China is no option for Europe as both countries are doing their best to involve it. Picture by Akarat Phasura via 123rf.

Europe’s position in the US-China trade conflict: It’s the exports, stupid

Maximilian Kärnfelt

Comment

May 25, 2020

Player or playground - EU must develop own approach to emerging tech challenge

Export controls and the US-China tech war

Noah Barkin

Report

Mar 18, 2020

New MERICS study on export controls and the US-China tech war

Press release

Mar 18, 2020

A smartphone using Huawei's operating system Harmony OS

Open source of trouble: China’s efforts to decouple from foreign IT technologies

Caroline Meinhardt

Comment

Mar 18, 2020

Noah Barkin on the implications of the US-China tech war for Europe

Podcast

Feb 25, 2020

Europe in the face of US-China rivalry

Lucrezia Poggetti

Jan Weidenfeld

External publication

Jan 23, 2020

Tsai Ing-wen waves to her supporters during the victory rally after winning the 2020 presidential election.

Praised by the West, rejected by China: Tsai Ing-wen re-elected in Taiwan

Jan 16, 2020

China’s incomplete reforms: perspective from its new IP regime (CEA Publications - JCEBS)

Max J. Zenglein

Jan 13, 2020

Max Zenglein: "Economic growth is still alright"

Podcast

Oct 24, 2019

Abdul Abiad on the US-China trade conflict and its impact on Asia

Podcast

Oct 18, 2019

Why is the FBI investigating Americans who study in China? (ChinaFile)

Rebecca Arcesati

Sep 13, 2019

Europe needs to find a position in the rivalry between China and the US.

What shall we do with China?

Miguel Otero-Iglesias

Comment

Sep 13, 2019

China and the US are facing off on trade and other issues.

China’s key opinion leaders on the trade conflict with the US: influence and censorship

Comment

Jun 27, 2019

Huawei finds itself entangled ever deeper in trade dispute

May 23, 2019

What should Australia do about PRC-US technology competition? (China Matters)

John Lee

May 23, 2019

Huawei’s 90-day reprieve won’t impress China’s hardliners

Nis Grünberg

Comment

May 22, 2019

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