How a Democratic-controlled Congress could reshape US policy on China

A Democratic takeover of either chamber of the US Congress could bring tougher scrutiny of President Donald Trump’s dealings with Beijing, even as lawmakers are likely to maintain a broadly hawkish stance towards China, analysts said.

A change in control could shift the emphasis of congressional oversight, with the Democratic Party seeking greater accountability for the administration’s China policy after Trump’s Republican Party largely gave him room to manoeuvre, said Sarah Trister, a former lead staff member on the Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee on East Asia and the Pacific.

“I would not expect congressional Democrats to come in and seek to fully reframe the China relationship,” she said.