Initial reaction to Trump speech muted in China but space competition could rise

In his inaugural address, Trump downplayed his stance on China and other foreign policy issues, preferring to emphasise domestic priorities and his vision of a “golden age” for the US.

He promised to “overhaul” the US trade system to protect American workers and families and gave a general warning about tariffs.

China only got one mention in Trump’s speech – and that was to suggest that Chinese operations in the Panama Canal constituted a degree of ownership of the Central American waterway.

However, experts said that Trump’s commitment to sending astronauts to Mars and to build the world’s most formidable military are likely to perpetuate the ongoing rivalry with China.

“We will pursue our manifest destiny into the stars, launching American astronauts to plant the stars and stripes on the planet Mars,” Trump said.

“Like in 2017, we will again build the strongest military the world has ever seen. We will measure our success not only by the battles we win, but also by the wars that we end, and perhaps most importantly, the wars we never get into.”