China and U.S. partners are moving closer as Trump returns to the White House

China's relations with U.S. partners are evolving as Biden's legacy is questioned and Trump's return looms.

China's relations with Japan, India and other countries are improving as former U.S. President Joe Biden courted, just as Donald Trump brings his more unilateralist approach back to the White House.

The change of leadership in Washington on Monday could be an opportunity for China, which has long railed against Biden's strategy of building partnerships with “like-minded countries” to counter its growing influence.

Mr. Biden reinvigorated a grouping known as the Quad — the United States, India, Japan and Australia. China's relations with all three of those U.S. partners are improving, as are its ties with Britain. The durability of Biden’s legacy is now in question. During his first term, Mr. Trump didn’t hesitate to challenge traditional U.S. partners.

“It is possible that Trump may drift away from U.S. allies, making them pay more attention to China’s role, and in fact it has provided a chance for China’s diplomacy,” said Wu Xinbo, dean of the Institute of International Studies at Fudan University in Shanghai. “I think we should grasp the chance.”

But U.S. National Security Council spokesperson Brian Hughes said that Trump “has a record of rallying the world toward a more competitive stance with China.” Trump agreed to a Free and Open Indo-Pacific strategy that Japan introduced during his first term and he backed excluding Chinese companies from telecom networks in the U.S. and many of its partners.

On Tuesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio — hours after he was sworn in — met with the Foreign Ministers of Australia, India and Japan in Washington, a move that suggested engaging the Quad countries and countering China’s influence will remain a priority for Trump.

Beijing's rapprochement with the U.K. and Japan is in its early stages, and major differences remain that limit and could derail it.