President Donald Trump returns from China today alongside a who’s who in his cabinet and some of the most recognizable faces in American business like Elon Musk and Jensen Huang. While details were thin on any actual dealmaking to emerge from the two-day trip, Trump left with an air of positivity and hinted at more to come. The visit raised a central tension for American businesses, investors, and policymakers that isn’t going away anytime soon: how to manage China’s growing prowess and relevance in sectors like the auto industry. Thanks to government investment, China’s auto industry produces more cars than any other country. And, increasingly, those cars are higher value electric vehicles that have uptake across the rest of the world. Leaders across government and the private sector know this is a problem, but they have yet to grapple fully with the potential collision course ahead as Chinese EVs—and indeed cleantech more broadly—increasingly put pressure on American companies. As Trump floated the idea of China ramping up investment in the U.S. ahead of the summit, industry executives balked, including and especially executives from the auto sector, alongside legislators and other influential officials. On April 29, a bipartisan group of members of congress, for example, pushed a measure to codify restrictions on imports of internet-connected vehicles from countries that pose a national security risk, targeting China. Opponents of Chinese cars have also suggested that the administration could extend and raise the existing 100% tariffs on Chinese cars or introduce a full ban. Future Proof WeeklyMaking sense of the energy and climate economy. Even if Chinese investment could be a boon for the U.S. economy, China trade hawks argue, the companies that would set up shop and the technologies they would bring would likely harm American incumbents and undercut labor standards. Furthermore,