U.S. President Donald Trump shook hands with members of Congress as he departed after delivering his State of the Union address in the House Chamber of the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on February 24, 2026.
Speaking from Beijing's perspective, Trump refrained from directly naming China in his address on Tuesday, despite an impending trip scheduled to the country. The speech, noted as the longest State of the Union address by any U.S. president, touched on various topics, including inflation, tariffs, and stock market records.
Despite covering a broad range of issues, China was only indirectly mentioned in reference to the "Russian and Chinese military technology" safeguarding Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro during a recent operation that led to Maduro's capture.
Reflecting on Trump's previous term from 2017 to 2021, during which he openly addressed the challenges posed by China in his three State of the Union speeches, this omission marks a shift. Gabriel Wildau, managing director at Teneo, suggested that Trump is seeking to avoid conflicts with China ahead of the U.S. midterm elections in November.
"Stability in U.S.-China relations is a priority for the president at least this year and potentially for the rest of his term," Wildau noted.
As part of his diplomatic efforts, Trump plans to visit Beijing from March 31 to April 2, marking the first trip by a U.S. president to China since 2017. However, George Chen, partner at The Asia Group, highlighted that China's foreign ministry has not yet confirmed the exact dates, implying Trump's eagerness for the trip might surpass China's interest in hosting him.
"The lack of mentions about China in Trump's speech highlights his cautious stance on U.S.-China relations," Chen commented.