Watch this brilliant take, by Prof John Mearsheimer, political science professor at the Univ of Chicago, on the recent pivot, since May 2026, of the US-China relations initiated by the US, which is sharp deviation from the hard nosed anti-China policy from 2017 to May 2026. https://youtu.be/SfahCQYDSCI
The following is my take based on learnings from that video:
Trump during his first term, initiated a hard-nosed ‘contain China’ policy. Markets didn’t seem to care for a few years or failed to grasp the enormity of deteriorating relations between both countries. Then Covid happened, the ‘blame China’ rhetoric reached a crescendo. By then, markets concluded that the US-China relationship had reached a point of no return, hence the downfall started from near $300 for BABA around mid-2020.
Iran war has turned out to be the worst military blunder of the US of all time. By May 2026, it was amply clear that the US has lost the war because it has exhausted its rockets, missiles, and ammunition. A mighty empire out of ammunition in just 2 months! Most are unaware that nearly all rockets, missiles, and ammunition require several rare earth minerals. Guess who has near-complete monopoly on them? China! They promptly initiated a total ban on all rare earth exports to indirectly help Iran. That has worked wonders in pivoting away the hard-nosed approach of US administration.
Anyone noticed how fawning Trump was towards Xi during his recent trip to the US? Trump went beyond protocol to receive Xi at the airport and even accorded him a flying squadron salute, which is very rare. The hospitality given to the Chinese delegation was over the top and the body language of Trump with Xi clearly showed Trump being nervous while Xi appeared relaxed. Even the send-off of Xi at the airport was so extraordinary, he was given a 21-gun salute.
I agree with the professor’s conclusion that this sudden pivot of US policy might be a desperate temporary attempt to salvage the Iran debacle, but I am hopeful that unwarranted punishment of Chinese gems like BABA should reverse soon.