U.S.-China relations have never been straightforward.
From landmark diplomatic breakthroughs to intense trade wars, the two powers have locked horns in a rivalry that stretches across decades.
Their competition has reshaped global politics and economics and left a deep mark on sports.
While moments of collaboration have occurred, the relationship between these nations has been defined more by tension and conflict.
The 2025 tariff war is the latest chapter in this saga, underscoring how geopolitical and economic rivalries can bleed into the world of sports.
Ping-pong diplomacy
The roots of U.S.-China sports diplomacy trace back to a symbolic event in 1971 – ping-pong diplomacy.
That year, the U.S. table tennis team’s visit to China set the stage for President Richard Nixon’s historic visit in 1972, marking the first crack in the icy relations between the two countries.
Yet, while this momentary thaw was celebrated, the relationship was never fully repaired.
Behind the diplomatic smiles, the U.S. and China remained locked in fierce competition, particularly in the economic realm.
By the 2000s, as their rivalry grew, it was clear that the world of sports would not remain untouched.
The economic competition between the two powers had profound implications for sports, a field often thought to be beyond the reach of geopolitics.
Yao Ming’s soft power, market expansion
The early 2000s marked a pivotal moment in U.S.-China sports relations, highlighted by the rise of Yao Ming.
Drafted by the Houston Rockets in 2002, the towering Chinese basketball player became not just an NBA star but a symbol of China’s growing influence in global sports.
The NBA, eager to tap into the vast Chinese consumer market, expanded its reach exponentially, fostering lucrative deals and a dedicated fan base.
However, as the NBA grew more embedded in China, so did its entanglements with Chinese politics.
The 2019 Daryl Morey incident illuminated the fragile balance the NBA had struck with China.
When the Houston Rockets’ general manager tweeted in support of Hong Kong’s pro-democracy protests, China retaliated by pulling NBA games from television and distancing major sponsors.
This episode revealed that sports, far from being neutral, could easily become a battlefield in the larger geopolitical struggle between the U.S. and China.
Sports caught in 2025 tariff war
Fast-forward to 2025, and the economic faceoff between the U.S. and China has intensified.
President Donald Trump’s trade war, characterized by tariffs as high as 125% on U.S. exports to China, shook the global economy.
The tariff war not only affected industries like agriculture and technology but also reverberated through the sports world. U.S. sports organizations, once heavily reliant on the Chinese market, suddenly found themselves grappling with higher costs and disrupted business practices.
For the NBA, this meant rising prices on player merchandise, equipment, and other goods imported to China.
Similarly, companies like Nike – integral to the sports world – struggled to maintain their foothold in China as tariffs made American products more expensive.
These economic pressures illustrated the vulnerabilities of a business model that had become so deeply intertwined with Chinese economic interests.
WTA’s bold stance
While the NBA cautiously navigated its relationship with China, the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) took a different approach, most notably in 2021, when it suspended tournaments in China following the disappearance of tennis star Peng Shuai.
Peng had accused a former Chinese official of sexual assault, and the WTA’s decision to withdraw in protest was a striking contrast to the NBA’s more measured response.
The WTA’s bold stance put it at odds with China’s growing economic influence in global sports and highlighted the moral dilemma sports organizations face when navigating their financial and political obligations.
This ideological divide between sports organizations was further exposed as the 2025 tariff war escalated, challenging not just the business models but the ethical compass of organizations that relied heavily on Chinese partnerships.
2022 Beijing Winter Olympics boycotts
The 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics also underscored the politicization of sports.
The U.S. led a diplomatic boycott of the games in protest of China’s human rights violations in Xinjiang, despite American athletes still participating.
The boycott was a clear indication that politics and sports were inextricably linked, as the world watched the geopolitical tug-of-war unfold on the global stage.
For the U.S., it was an opportunity to assert its political stance, but the move also complicated its sporting relationship with China, revealing the increasingly polarized nature of international sport.
Global sports battlefield
As the 2025 trade war continues, the intersection of sports and geopolitics will only deepen.
Tariffs are not just about financial losses; they are about the shifting dynamics of global influence.
American sports leagues and brands, once able to depend on China’s massive consumer market, now find themselves caught between business interests and political realities.
The NBA, in particular, faces the challenge of maintaining its business relationships in China while navigating the increasingly charged political atmosphere.
The sports world is no longer a neutral zone where countries simply compete for medals or titles.
It has become a battlefield in a broader geopolitical struggle, where economic interests and political ideologies shape every match, game and competition.