Trump has assembled a team of China hawks. How will Beijing respond?

Hong Kong CNN —

One called China an “existential threat.” Another called for a “whole-of-society effort” to confront China and was sanctioned – twice – by Beijing. A third claimed the Chinese military was “specifically dedicated to defeating the United States of America.”

US President-elect Donald Trump’s proposed cabinet is stacked with so-called China hawks who have made clear an ambition to confront America’s ascendant superpower rival in nearly every policy realm, from the economy to security.

But unlike at Trump’s previous inauguration eight years ago, Chinese leaders may not be caught off-guard by a more confrontational approach.

Instead, experts say this time around Beijing is more experienced in dealing with the transactional leader and the ideological hardliners around him – and may seek to establish back-channels through more China-friendly figures in Trump’s inner circle, such as Elon Musk.

Observers of China’s foreign policy have no illusions about the potential downward trajectory of relations under Trump, who on the campaign trail threatened to slap Chinese imports with upwards of 60% tariffs. This week he said he would impose an additional 10% tariff on Chinese goods on top of all existing levies.

“If you look at Trump’s team, most, if not all, are China hawks. The appointed officials are likely to pursue a hardline policy to bring competition with China to a new level,” said Yun Sun, director of the China program at the Stimson Center in Washington. “I don’t think Beijing sees any of them as good news.”

But some foreign policy thinkers in China believe the president-elect ultimately still wants to make a deal with China – and may be more flexible than his cabinet picks suggest.

Trump is known to be