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Analysis China May Welcome Elon Musk’s Cuts The tech mogul’s Department of Government Efficiency has targeted some of Beijing’s bugbears. Palmer-James-foreign-policy-columnist20 James Palmer By James Palmer , a deputy editor at Foreign Policy . Elon Musk attends a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington on Feb. 13. Elon Musk attends a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington on Feb. 13. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images My FP: Follow topics and authors to get straight to what you like. Exclusively for FP subscribers. Subscribe Now | Log In Politics United States China James Palmer February 18, 2025, 4:57 PM Comment icon View Comments ( 0 ) Elon Musk’s assault on U.S. federal government capabilities has been met with glee from Chinese nationalists and state media. Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency has targeted some of Beijing’s bugbears, such as the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the National Endowment for Democracy (NED). Trump’s Second Term Ongoing reports and analysis Multiple groups monitoring Chinese influence or human rights abuses have also been forced to freeze activities after losing federal funding. Musk, who has extensive business ties to China, has echoed conspiracy theories about USAID and NED that are also promoted by Beijing and Moscow. Elon Musk’s assault on U.S. federal government capabilities has been met with glee from Chinese nationalists and state media. Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency has targeted some of Beijing’s bugbears, such as the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the National Endowment for Democracy (NED). Trending Articles Trump Trades Barbs With Zelensky The two leaders’ war of words has triggered a breakdown in U.S.-Ukraine relations. Powered By Advertisement Trump Trades Barbs With Zelensky X Trump’s Second Term Ongoing reports and analysis Multiple groups monitoring Chinese influence or human rights abuses have also been forced to freeze activities after losing federal funding. Musk, who has extensive business ties to China, has echoed conspiracy theories about USAID and NED that are also promoted by Beijing and Moscow. This approach marks a stark contrast with Trump’s first term, during which China hawks and aspiring cold warriors dominated. However, while the Trump administration freezes Chinese monitoring programs, closes down key cybersecurity programs , and purges the FBI, it is also throwing out moves that target Beijing. Aside from fresh tariffs on Chinese goods and threats of more tariffs , U.S. intelligence is now promoting lab leak theories about the origins of COVID-19. But the major provocation is the U.S. State Department dropping language on its Taiwan fact sheet saying that Washington doesn’t support Taiwanese independence, which has sparked a furious Chinese response . Read more in today’s China Brief: Xi Sends Message to China’s Private Sector This post is part of FP’s ongoing coverage of the Trump administration . Follow along here . My FP: Follow topics and authors to get straight to what you like. Exclusively for FP subscribers. Subscribe Now | Log In Politics United States China James Palmer James Palmer is a deputy editor at Foreign Policy . X: @BeijingPalmer Read More On China | Democracy | Donald Trump | Foreign Aid | Politics | United States Join the Conversation Commenting on this and other recent articles is just one benefit of a Foreign Policy subscription. Already a subscriber? Log In . Subscribe Subscribe View 0 Comments Join the Conversation Join the conversation on this and other recent Foreign Policy articles when you subscribe now. Subscribe Subscribe Not your account? Log out View 0 Comments Join the Conversation Please follow our comment guidelines , stay on topic, and be civil, courteous, and respectful of others’ beliefs. You are commenting as . Change your username | Log out Change your username: Username I agree to abide by FP’s comment guidelines . (Required) Confirm CANCEL Confirm your username to get started. The default username below has been generated using the first name and last initial on your FP subscriber account. Usernames may be updated at any time and must not contain inappropriate or offensive language. Username I agree to abide by FP’s comment guidelines . (Required) Confirm
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