STRATEGIC SHIFTS AND ECONOMIC NATIONALISM IN THE FIRST TRUMP ERA WITH A FOCUS ON U.S.-CHINA TECH RIVALRY

Povzetek

The research examines how strategic policy changes and economic nationalism under the first Trump presidency (2017–2021) re-mapped the course of U.S.–China relations in the field of technology. Highlighting the "America First" focus, the research investigates how protectionism, escalating tariffs, and regulatory penalties on Chinese technology companies were an aggressive effort to slow down China's technological rise. The article also assesses the contribution of the COVID-19 pandemic and rising global geopolitical tensions to reinforcing nationalist feelings and securitizing competition in technology at the global level. Through secondary data and trend analysis, the research identifies a clear shift in U.S. foreign policy, exemplified by tech decoupling, diminished Chinese FDI, and export control steps encouraged by rhetoric. It concludes that the policies during the Trump era established the basis for a long-term tech competition and remade the world landscape of innovation, trade, and economic diplomacy.