Switzerland sends top politicians to U.S. and China at the same time as countries are being forced to pick sides in trade war

One went to the United States. Another went to China. This is a sign of times.

While the Swiss president was in Washington last week to lobby US officers with the President Donald Trump's Threatening 31% tariffs on Swiss goods, the Swiss Foreign Minister is in Beijing, expressing his country's willingness to strengthen cooperation with China and upgrade a free trade agreement.

As Trump'sTrade warLocks in the two largest economies in the world in a collision course, unnerved American allies and partners are in contact with China to give their bets. It came as Trump's trade pushes a decade of foreign American policy – including himself from his first term – to the rallies around the world to join the United States against China. And it threatens to give Beijing moreAny final dialoguewith the US administration.

Trump says that countries have “kissed my ass” to organize trading deals on his terms or risk of stubborn import taxes, Beijing reaches countries far and near. It describes itself as a stabilized force and an unpredictable trading partner, both to prioritize the impact from Trump's tariffs and to produce a stronger trade relations outside the US market.

“America and China are now locked in a fierce contest for global supreme power,” Singapore prime minister Lawrence Wong said in a speech on April 16. “Both powers say they do not want to force countries to choose sides.

Tariffs on Chinese goods are on charts

Trump kept some of his steep tariffs with most American partners for 90 days after the globalFinancial marketsmelted. But he raised tariffs on Chinese goods by 145%, drawing rebels from Beijing, who vowed to “fight to the end.” US companies have warned of higher prices, which means that Trump can face both higher inflation and empty store shelves.

The size of the taxes has noticed that the American imports, the shipping containers set to get to the Los Angeles port is about 36% over the last two weeks, according to the Port Optimizer, which tracks the vessels. It is lending urgent for both the US and China to strengthen support from alternate partners.

While Trump administration officials suggest that the President can relieve the rates of duty in Chinese goods at his discretion, there is no indication that he is still looking for a reduction. That, after all, may suggest his protection policies hurt the American economy.

“They wanted to make a deal clearly,” Trump told reporters on Sunday, saying the US had lost “cold turkey” in trade from China. “Right now, they're not doing business with us.”

The White House has framped any negotiations as between the US president and Chinese presidentXi JinpingBut the leader seems to be willing to make an initial outreach without some kind of concession. The two countries cannot agree with the public if they hold conversations.

Earlier this month, xi – onhis first trip abroadThis year – Vietnam, Malaysia and Cambodia visited, resulting in mutual promises for closer economic and trade relations. In Vietnam, facing a 46% tariff from the US, Beijing and Hanoi have come up with strengthening industrial cooperation and supply chain. In Malaysia and Cambodia, Xi ensures similar agreements. Cambodia faces a 49% tariff from the US, and Malaysia 24%.

Then there is Japan: Despite the long hate of the country that once colonized parts of it, the Chinese government reached Tokyo and urged a coordinated response, according to Kyodo News.

China is digging in

China is also ready to use the stick. A South Korean newspaper reports that China is asking South Korean businesses not to send goods containing China's rare minerals to US defense companies or facing penalties.

Earlier this month, Beijing warned that there was no country that should reach a US deal at China's expense and vowed to take countermeasures in a “determined and rewarded manner” that such a situation should arise.

The Hal Brands, an elderly fellow at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, said China said “Try to exploit Trump's abusive behavior to integrate US allies and countries in the South.”

Some scholars say Beijing is already getting. “People have lost confidence, or even trust, for the United States, especially for Donald Trump in the US not for China,” said Li Cheng, professor of political science at the University of Hong Kong. “So in that regard, China gets into the geopolitical landscape.”

In the latest IPSOS poll, for the first time, more people around the world say that China has a positive effect on the world than in the United States. The pollster cited a wide backlash on Trump's tariffs.

The countries have to choose, but it's hard

China is the largest exporter in the world and the US is the largest import. The total trade for China reached a record of 43.85 trillion Yuan (US $ 6 trillion) in 2024, and the country was the largest trading partner for most of the world, including the European Union, Japan, South Korea and the grouping of 10 Southeast Asian countries known as ASEAN.

The US is the biggest destination for China's exports, although China is only the third largest trading partner in the US, behind Mexico and Canada. The total trade for the US last year was US $ 5.4 billion, with a record deficiency of $ 1.2 trillion. For ASEAN countries, trade in the US cost $ 477 billion in 2024, with $ 352 billion worth of goods sold in the US but China is more ASEAN business.

Countries caught between the US and China are in “an impossible situation” because they have to stay connected to the economy both in China, “a source of multiple inputs and imports” and the Powerhouse US Market, Matthew Goodman, director of the Greenberg Center for GeoOnleon's Geoeconomic Studies at Council on Foreign Relations, said.

“They can't choose one or the other, because they need both,” Goodman said.

In Europe, China is preparing to raise sanctions to survive a trade deal, according to a South China-based morning-based post-based post. The Chinese state media has called on European leaders to join China in cautioning multilateralism.

Back to Beijing, Xi is receiving foreign leaders. On Thursday,He told the president of KenyaThat the China market always keeps its door open to high quality products from Kenya and China encourages more capable Chinese businesses to invest and start businesses in Kenya, according to the Xinhua news agency. On Wednesday, Xi met the President of Azerbaijan. Xi criticized the trade war as disturbing the rights and interests of all nations.

The beijing sound sound

On Friday, when Xi filled a major economic meeting, the Beijing leadership struck a positive tone but recognized the “increasing impact from external shocks” and “encouraged preparation for the worst cases with sufficient planning,” Xinhua said.

Wang Yiwei, a elderly fellow at Beijing's Center for China and globalization, China said, after dealing with Trump's first term, was ready for his latest tariff approach. “China is ready for the worst,” Wang said, “and it no longer lives in the fantasy of globalization.”

Victor Gao, vice president of the Center for China and globalization, said Beijing said he was ready for decay. “What is the end? This is a complete stop, which means that the US is not exporting to China, China has no export to the United States,” he said.

And, despite China's high economic costs, China will survive, Gao said. “For a country especially like China with a history of 5,000 years, what kind of people have we not seen? Whatever invaders, thieves, and barbarians,” Gao said. “But in the end, they all left. They all lost, everyone was defeated.”

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com