President-elect Donald Trump’s attack on international trade, and especially his intention to withdraw from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), will allow the People’s Republic of China to seize the economic lead in Asia and prevent any goal of making America great again.

Strategic surprise and a cultivated image of irrationality is a classical strategy in a game of brinkmanship. One side highlights its willingness to “dance too close” to the cliff’s edge and maximize risk, leading its opposition into eventual retreat. Trumps’ discussion with Tsai Ing-wen must be seen through the prism or feigned irrationality. Trump, a studious businessman, may have considered the strategies of past presidents and found the “Madman” hypothesis compelling for his ultimate goal: to leverage Chinese adamancy over core national interests like the Taiwan issue into an agreement over trade and jobs – his existential political pledge.

Despite trade frictions and the recent fuss over contact with Taiwan’s leader, the future Trump administration is likely to promote the smooth development of Sino-U.S. relations in the years to come. Expansion of cooperation in areas where the two countries have common interests would be the first priority of both sides.

What does Donald Trump’s victory mean for Sino-American relations? With no experience in government, Trump is unique among all past American presidents. It also means the new president has no political background by which the Chinese can predict his behavior. Trump will come to the White House with a “clean slate” with respect to official “China policy.”

As the president-elect makes bold statements and takes symbolic actions relevant to US-Sino relations, perhaps a bit of folklore suggests how to think about wise policy actions.

The new US leader must truly realize that managing US-China relations in a constructive manner is essential for both countries and the world at large. While Trump plans a dial-back on some US commitments abroad, he cannot change all market rules at will -- and he’s barking up the wrong tree when he attributes most of America’s economic problems to China.

Donald Trump’s words on the campaign trail suggest that Sino-US relations may fluctuate in the transition period. The balance of power between the two sides will continue to change but the importance and sensitivity of Sino-US relations will also increase.

It is very difficult to predict Donald Trump’s policy, especially his foreign policy. The president-elect never systematically elaborated it. His speeches

Policies outlive presidents’ terms because they are in America’s own interests. Trump’s personal style has proved to work well in appealing to voters he needed to get him elected this year. But it will not work that well in appealing to the world when he is in the White House. We must hope that he works to grasp the subtleties of international relations more quickly than his spontaneous style suggests is likely.

State Department says that the U.S. remains firmly committed to the “one China” policy, and that’s based on the three joint communiques and the Taiwan Relations Act and there’s been no change in U.S.'s longstanding policy with regard to Taiwan.