The US bureaucracy is largely indifferent to changes in administration, though it undoubtedly wields significant influence. The key point is that major policy decisions are made by established bureaucrats in the military, State Department, and other parts of the essential institutional actors. As a result, any country, like China, perceived as a threat to US hegemony will be vigorously fought against.
Justifying the beheading done there is just evil. By Sharia if you're just an apostate or kafir paying jijiya who has done some miniscule mistake which might include affecting the feeling of an Imandar(i.e Muslims). Now anyone can be a kafir because the definition of being a muslim is extremely vague in Quran and hadiths, so that's why you see violence between shia, sunni, ahmediya and all others. Even different factions between Sunnis.