In the latest chapter of a rekindled trade war, Beijing has chosen silence over rhetoric, discipline over drama. As President Donald Trump returns to the White House and reasserts his hardline stance against China, the Chinese government has adopted what analysts describe as a strategy of fighting fire with fire— calculated, forceful, but notably devoid of public escalation.

At many international conferences, China consistently sends top experts, making it difficult for Western participants from the US and New Zealand to counter their arguments. Even in private conversations, both inside and outside the conference rooms, few dare to challenge China’s perspectives.