Sign up for CNN’s Meanwhile in China newsletter which explores what you need to know about the country’s rise and how it impacts the world. President Donald Trump’s upending of US foreign policy has alarmed allies and nations in need.

The administration is positioning itself to clamp down on Chinese investment and access to technology. But the wild card may be the president himself.

Donald Trump is working on tighter curbs on China’s chip industry and is pressing key US allies to escalate their restrictions. Japanese and Dutch officials are under pressure to restrict Tokyo Electron and ASML from maintaining semiconductor gear in China,