FILE: Beijing, China - Date Unknown (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
1. Various of Tian'anmen Rostrum, Chinese national flag, ornamental column

London, UK - March 11, 2025 (CRI News Radio - No access Chinese mainland)
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Martin Jacques, former senior fellow, Department of Politics and International Studies, Cambridge University:
"It's not the same as it was in 2016, 2017. The situation is different now, China is much less dependent on the American market than it was then. The American economy is that much -- relatively speaking -- smaller than it was then."

FILE: Washington D.C., USA - Oct 2024 (CCTV Video News Agency - No access Chinese mainland)
3. Various of White House

London, UK - March 11, 2025 (CRI News Radio - No access Chinese mainland)
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Martin Jacques, former senior fellow, Department of Politics and International Studies, Cambridge University:
"So I think China's confident that although it would much prefer, of course, we'd all prefer a good relationship, a harmonious relationship between the United States and China. But if that is not going to be the case, China feels confident that it can, economically, handle whatever it is Trump wants to throw at it. And you can see after each remand of announcements, China responds in kind, or not exactly in kind, but in the way it wants to respond."

FILE: Beijing, China - Date Unknown (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
5. Aerial shots of city

FILE: Washington D.C., USA - Oct 2024 (CCTV Video News Agency - No access Chinese mainland)
6. Various of traffic

China is confident it can handle the economic challenges brought by U.S. President Donald Trump's trade measures, according to a British scholar, who noted the current situation is far different to what it was during Trump's first term in office.

In an interview with China Radio International (CRI) on Tuesday, Martin Jacques, a former senior fellow at the Department of Politics and International Studies of Cambridge University, shared his views on the current state of China-U.S. relations.

Since Trump returned to the White House in January, his administration has been pushing its so-called "America First" approach, threatening a new round of trade wars against multiple countries. Earlier this month, the U.S. imposed a uniform 20-percent tariff on all Chinese goods.

However, Jacques said that the present circumstances are very different to what they were in Trump's previous term, when he also sought to use tariffs on other countries to advance his own agenda.

"It's not the same as it was in 2016, 2017. The situation is different now, China is much less dependent on the American market than it was then. The American economy is that much -- relatively speaking -- smaller than it was then," said Jacques.

In the wake of Trump's tariffs, China has vowed to take all necessary measures to defend its lawful rights and interests, with Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning stressing on Wednesday that protectionism leads nowhere, and warning that trade and tariff wars have no winners.

While a more "harmonious" relationship between the world's two largest economies would be preferred, Jacques says China clearly feels it is in a strong enough position to manage the economic impact of the U.S. administration's moves and will respond robustly.

"So I think China's confident that although it would much prefer, of course, we'd all prefer a good relationship, a harmonious relationship between the United States and China. But if that is not going to be the case, China feels confident that it can, economically, handle whatever it is Trump wants to throw at it. And you can see after each remand of announcements, China responds in kind, or not exactly in kind, but in the way it wants to respond," he said.