As President Trump reshapes America’s foreign policy, two important challenges stand at the center: resolving the war in Ukraine and redefining the U.S. approach to China. His administration’s ability to manage these global issues can cement his legacy as a leader who prioritized peace, economic sovereignty, and resistance to authoritarian influence.
The war in Ukraine has dragged on for more than three years. President Trump has made clear his desire to bring the war to an end. Unlike the Biden administration’s approach to supply military aid with no clear exit plan, Trump recognizes that a protracted conflict serves no one’s interests and a negotiated peace is the only viable path forward. The United States’ role should be to facilitate an agreement that protects long-term stability rather than support a conflict with no clear end.
Trump’s recent decision to halt $1.61 billion in U.S. military aid to Ukraine has drawn criticism from domestic and international observers. The move is intended to push Ukraine into negotiations, but some argue that it weakens Ukraine’s defense capabilities at a critical moment. European allies, including France and Poland, have voiced concerns that suspending aid could embolden Russian President Vladimir Putin. The European Commission has even proposed a €800 billion initiative to strengthen Europe's own military preparedness in response.
While Ukraine demands immediate attention, China poses the greatest long-term threat to America. For decades, the CCP has expanded its influence through economic coercion, industrial espionage, and aggressive propaganda efforts, all while maintaining unfair trade practices that harm U.S. industries. The challenge to America is economic and cultural, as China works to infiltrate U.S. institutions and shape public perception in its favor.
For years, American businesses were promised access to China’s vast markets, only to be subjected to intellectual property theft, forced technology transfers, and state-sponsored competition. Many U.S. companies that entered China have seen their trade secrets stolen, and used by CCP-backed Chinese against them.
The Trump administration has taken steps to correct this imbalance by implementing economic policies that prioritize American industries. This includes applying tariffs to Chinese goods, renegotiating trade deals, and pressuring businesses to reduce reliance on Chinese manufacturing. While full economic decoupling may not be realistic, America must engage with China on equal terms—treating them under the same transactional approach that they apply to us.
The CCP has also worked to manipulate narratives in the U.S., using state-controlled media, academic partnerships, and lobbying networks to influence American policymakers, businesses, and cultural institutions. Beijing wants to control the Chinese people, and it wants to control how China is perceived around the world, including inside America. One of the clearest examples of China’s propaganda war is the coordinated attacks on Shen Yun in the U.S., the world-renowned performing arts company that revives China’s pre-communist cultural heritage.
Beijing has made aggressive efforts to shut Shen Yun down, from pressuring theaters to cancel performances to launching cyberattacks on ticketing systems and spreading false propaganda to discredit the company. This goes beyond an attack on a performing arts group—it is a direct challenge to free expression in America.
The United States must take stronger measures to protect Shen Yun and other cultural organizations that face CCP interference. This includes cracking down on unregistered CCP agents operating in the U.S., enforcing transparency requirements for organizations with ties to the Chinese government, and holding accountable businesses and institutions that enable Beijing’s influence campaigns.
President Trump has a chance to lead the U.S. into an era of economic self-reliance, diplomatic strength, and cultural sovereignty. If successful, his legacy will be that of a leader who ended wars and also ensured that America remained free from foreign military conflicts, and from foreign ideological influence.
Victor Lopez is a small business advocate and political analyst.
