Political consultant and foreign policy expert Hlib Ostapenko shared his opinions on Espreso TV.“It’s clear that the current Donald Trump administration is trying to redefine global spheres of influence and protect the remnants of America’s influence accumulated over many decades. Formally, the United States remains Beijing’s main rival, but an unofficial reconfiguration or delineation of interests is increasingly being discussed,” he said.According to Ostapenko, this could involve some sort of agreement with China.“China is strengthening its position in Central Asia, Africa, and its surrounding region. Meanwhile, the U.S. continues its policies in the Asia-Pacific, Europe, North America, and Latin America. Such a division is very hypothetical and is discussed more as a theory in analytical centers rather than as real policies or actions,” he noted.Ostapenko explained the reason.“First, the U.S. does not want to share hegemonic power fully, and China is not ready to play a secondary role. It is clear that Beijing sees itself as the leading country in the world after 2040–2050,” he said.The expert also pointed out that over the past 25 years, the map of export partners has changed significantly.“If previously almost the entire world was an export partner for the United States, now China plays a much bigger role in global trade and influences world markets. Therefore, Trump’s various tools to pressure China — economic pressures, tariffs, sanctions, and export restrictions — primarily affect the U.S. itself. They do hit Beijing, but it’s not like hitting Venezuela, Moldova, Russia, or Burkina Faso. This affects the country that is effectively the world’s second hegemon, with which you trade. Trade connects economies, societies, people, values, welfare, security, and more,” he added.He emphasized that imposing tariffs directly impacts the U.S., and what affects America affects the whole world.“At the same time, some calibrated pressure on Beijing is necessary, because we now have clear data from official Kyiv showing that Beijing is helping Moscow produce drones. Various commercial companies and experts visit the Izhevsk plant producing Shaheds, helping manufacture cameras, drones, and providing so-called dual-use equipment used by Russia in missiles and drones. Additionally, China buys Russian oil, being the largest purchaser, effectively financing this war,” the expert stressed.Ostapenko concluded that without pressure, China could become very audacious.“Therefore, I believe such pressure policy is necessary, but it must involve real actions that lead to results, not mere simulations. For example, tariffs have been imposed on India — did it help? No. I believe there needs to be a comprehensive, systemic approach, coordinated with European partners. Yet sometimes European partners do not want to stop buying energy from Russia, putting themselves in strategic dependence, which we can clearly see in Slovakia, Hungary, and other countries that purchased Russian LNG via Baltic tankers and sea routes,” he concluded.