What Trump means for China

Fan Jishe is a researcher on US studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

Donald Trump's victory in the US presidential election may have shocked many scholars at home and abroad. But it will not necessarily dampen the prospect of China-US military cooperation, which has made notable progress in the past few years.

The two sides added the air-space encounter safety code and military crisis notification to their military agreements during President Xi Jinping's visit to the United States last September. Besides, the number of drills held by the two countries' militaries over the past three years has exceeded those before 2013.

Trump's victory is unlikely to change the two countries' basic military relations. His military policy, however, remains uncertain because he did not talk much about it during the election campaign.

China-US relations are becoming more complicated but more stable, and may undergo transition after Trump unveils his political agenda, presumably three months after he assumes office in January.

In all likelihood, Trump will increase military expenditure while refraining from expanding his country's military presence overseas, as he has hinted that the US' allies should shoulder more responsibilities.

China and the US, on the other hand, may have to deal with a series of uncertainties in regard to military exchanges before Trump's military strategy takes shape. But given the two trust-building mechanisms between the two countries, a sea change is not expected in Sino-US military ties.