Why Chinese Analysts Say Trump Is Accelerating American Decline

A recent study by Brookings Institution researchers found that references to “American decline” in official Chinese sources nearly doubled in 2025. Photo : AP For decades, many Chinese held a complex view of the United States — a mix of admiration for its wealth and innovation, envy of its power, and resentment of its dominance. Even critics of American foreign policy often conceded that the US system worked. That image has been shattered during Donald Trump’s second term. Chinese officials, state media, and nationalist commentators now routinely portray the United States as a fading superpower — chaotic, divided, and in…