Beijing’s current tough approach, such as towards the Xinjiang cotton issue, is due in part to the fact that its hopes for a “reset” in ties with Washington have dissipated. The US has not rolled back any of the sanctions, tariffs or other restrictions that the Trump administration placed on China, and has instead rallied the Quad nations of India, Australia, Japan (plus the US), in what China sees as a united front against it. These actions have helped form a consensus in Beijing that political, ideological conflict with Washington is inevitable, “no matter what China does”, according to Associate Professor Li Mingjiang, coordinator of the China Programme at the RSIS in Singapore.