Throughout his campaign for the US presidency, Donald trump has repeatedly promised to fight against China through economic policies. Now the former reality star appears to be open to war between the two global superpowers.

"A strong military presence will be a clear signal to China and other nations in Asia and around the world that America is back in the global leadership business," Trump's team wrote on his official website. 

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While Trump did not go so far as to declare war an inevitability, he definitely left the door open to the possibility that as president he would consider the option of military conflict with China. The businessman-turned-politician cited unpredictability as the reason he would not promise to avoid war between the world's largest economic powers.

"I would use trade to negotiate. Would I go to war? Look, let me just tell you. There's a question I wouldn't want to answer," Trump said in response to a New York Times reporter's question about the South China Sea controversy.

The billionaire went on to say that "a politician would say, 'Oh I would never go to war,' or they'd say, 'Oh I would go to war.' I don't want to say what I'd do because, again, we need unpredictability."

However, other statements Trump made to the New York Times seem to indicate that the 69-year-old is not so serious about his willingness to use force. He threatened to remove the US military from strategic positions in South Korea and Japan, unless those countries pay more money.

At this point, Trump's foreign policy is purely theoretical, but he is getting closer to attaining the power that would enable him to try and enact his proposals. Trump only needs to win 52 percent of the remaining GOP primary delegates to be nominated for the general election. 

Tagsdonald trump, US-China relations, war, china