America's determination to impose tough measures on China makes it difficult to escalate tensions, even though Washington has a new administration by the end of the year.

Tensions between the United States and China have recently increased due to disagreements over a series of issues regarding the handling of Covid-19, the situation of Xinjiang, Hong Kong and the South China Sea.

Assessing the cause, Daniel Russel, a former Assistant Secretary of State for the period of 2013-2017, said that President Trump acted tough with China to attract voters to support, in order to be re-elected at the end of the year.

"The Trump administration is speeding up its actions against China," Russel said.

"The US will undoubtedly continue to take actions to restrain China in the near future," Russel said.

Deborah Seligsohn, associate professor of political science, Villanova University, USA, also said that this is the time Trump wants to show "strong image" to win the election in November this year.

Orville Schell, director of the Center for U.S.-China Relations, at Asia Society, said the two sides are returning to the opposite path, where they not only have plans for a trade war, but also

Predicting the new actions the US can take with China, Russel said there are many issues being discussed in Washington.

Firstly, the United States is evaluating a visa ban with all members of the Chinese Communist Party.

Second, the United States may impose financial measures such as preventing Chinese companies from listing on US exchanges;

Third, Washington also discussed the ban with Chinese companies, not only Huawei but also app companies like Tick Tok.

Fourth, the United States is likely to impose sanctions on China for actions in the South China Sea, including state-owned companies involved in the construction of artificial islands in the Spratly Islands, the leader of

"The Trump administration will intensify showing its toughness with China, as the election day gets closer," Russel said.

According to Russel, by November 2020, if Trump is elected president, tensions with China will focus on trade.

Dr. Le Hong Hiep, an expert at the Institute of Southeast Asia Research (ISEAS), Singapore, agrees that the US-China tension has also increased sharply.

Consequently, Seligsohn said that when the US - China split, no side will win.

According to former Assistant Secretary of State Russel, the United States and China have virtually no channels of communication and dialogue between senior officials.

Schell said that the plan to increase tensions with China seemed to be the best way that Trump now used to distract people from the way he handled Covid-19.

"If Joe Biden is elected, his administration may make a proposal to change the situation, but the problem is whether Chinese President Xi Jinping is involved," Schell said.