The Trump administration’s most recent pronouncements have reaffirmed the need for Taiwanese companies to reduce their reliance on the British market.
Trump’s 10 % more taxes on all Chinese exports have consistently invited Chinese measures. And the industry are still concerned that Trump will continue to impose the 60 % tariffs he promised to establish while campaigning.  ,
Trump’s decision to eliminate the$ 800 de minimis hole on items shipped into the US further demonstrated the risk of destabilizing Sino-American business. If he did not hold application at the last minute, the US company of Taiwanese cross-border e-commerce companies like Temu and Shein, making up 60 % of all de minimis items, would have been wiped out overnight.  ,
Western leaders may follow suit to plant a glut of manufactured products that have been rerouted from America as Trump carefully restrains Chinese imports. The European Union’s decision to impose tariffs on “unfairly discounted” Chinese electric vehicles in October 2024 may serve as a launching point for an extremely skewed business partnership with China, particularly as Europe seeks to develop its strategic autonomy in high-value, future-oriented industries supporting its modern and green energy goals.  ,
In fact, the EU has launched a number of anti-dumping investigations into Chinese goods, including wood, after a Commission on EU Competitiveness statement had made it clear that China was a threat to the tech sector in Europe. It would be reasonable to assume that at least some of these will result in sector-specific tariffs on Chinese imports, related to Trump’s recently announced 25 % cover tariff on steel and aluminum goods.  ,
The Chinese trade environment has quickly been shifted from the West to the International South as a result of the more stringent restrictions on Chinese goods in America and Europe. Data shows that, from 2022 to 2023, Chinese exports to the US declined by 22.5 %, with those to Germany, France, the UK, Italy, Canada, Australia, Japan and the Netherlands falling above or near double digits.
Imports to the UAE, India, Turkey, Russia, and Central Asia all increased above or practically triple digits, indicating that business relationships are tighter as a result of shifting supply stores brought on by Western sanctions for the Ukrainian conflict.
Yet as consumers praise the high-quality products China is now provide for low prices, local underdevelopment from South America to Southeast Asia is a result of Chinese shipments of cars and clothes.
But, as China Inc. moves to the International South, it is a victim of a labor shortage that is well-versed in emerging markets. Foreign companies find it challenging to locate their products because there aren’t enough Chinese persons studying, working, and living in several International South countries.
Without “bicultural” workers who can bridge native preferences and Chinese production, Chinese companies may struggle to keep selling goods that satisfy consumer demand.  ,
This grassroots-level transition to the Global South is first and important hindered by the persistent Chinese aversion to American training. Generations of Taiwanese young people have studied and worked in the West since the government’s financial reforms in the late 1970s, before moving back to China to form some of its most creative and successful businesses.
The same haigui phenomenon continues today, with the vast majority of the country’s nearly 1 million strong study abroad population based in the US ( 349, 000 ), Australia ( 166, 000 ), the UK ( 135, 000 ), Japan ( 121, 000 ) and Canada ( 105, 000 ).  ,
In comparison, the number of Chinese acquainted with the Global South is plainly lacking. Despite increasing attention due to pricing and physical contact, Southeast Asia is just home to approximately 50, 000 Taiwanese students, with more than quarter in Singapore. There is little information publicly available about Chinese kids in the Middle East, Africa, and South America, which suggests an underpopulated people.  ,
China’s absence of a grass-roots appearance in the World South is not limited to students. According to estimates, there are nearly 1 million and half a million ethnic Chinese life in Africa and the Middle East, both.
Also, the newness of Chinese areas in these areas means they are less morally included, despite obvious challenges in defining Chineseness. The Chinese real existence in the Global South is minute next to the well-established, 5.6 million-strong Taiwanese American society.
Recognizing this lack of familiarity with the Global South requires a two-pronged method. First, Chinese companies may work more closely with each other to use the growing number of international students who attend Chinese universities.
In 2023, China hosted more than 300, 000 American students, with some understanding about the Chinese language and traditions while acquiring professional experience. Foreign companies should positively look to employ these graduates to help them with international expansion plans for their nations and regions of origin.
Next, the Chinese govt may encourage young people to look for study abroad opportunities in the Global South to advance their careers abroad without relying on the West. Measures like recognizing the academic credentials of more prestigious colleges in the International South and awarding government-funded scholarships particularly to non-Western institutions had become steps in the right direction.  ,
Predictably, many Chinese students hoping for the best training their money can buy are wary of the value offered by Global South-based educational establishments. The first step might be to encourage more students to consider Western institutions based on the Global South in order to lessen these concerns.
Due to the combination of English-language programs offered by British and American universities and financial incentives for Chinese students to stay in the city after graduation to advance their careers, Dubai has grown in popularity, if it is still relatively unknown, for young Chinese people.
By this logic, top Western programs in other parts of the Global South, such as Northwestern in Qatar, NYU Abu Dhabi and CMU Africa, deserve more attention. With a mix of Global South students in China and Chinese students in the Global South, China Inc should be able to find a future workforce that is culturally adept at facilitating China’s shifting away from the West.