Amid warnings by both sides, and ongoing trade deal negotiations, one veteran of the US-China relationship, Henry Kissinger, said the US and China were in the “foothills of a Cold War”. In the South China Sea, US Navy warships continue to rile Beijing by sailing near islands claimed by China. This article is a summary of important US China news in November 2019. Donald Trump angered China’s ruling party by signing the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act, one of more than 150 other pending bills that aim to counter China on multiple fronts. While China had warned of consequences, the main one appeared anger, as observers said Beijing was unlikely to retaliate in a way that would undermine ongoing trade talks. “We’re in the final throes of a very important deal,” Trump claimed, and China promised to raise penalties for IPR violations, but with little progress on a phase one deal an ambitious “phase two” deal appeared…

• 0
• • Facebook
  • Twitter
• 0

What do you call the rollercoaster US-China relationship under Donald Trump’s watch? A “lovefest”, suggested the US President in a month when trade negotiations stalled, and Beijing’s October 1 military parade showed off new missiles and drones many experts believe are eroding US power and influence in Asia. This article is a summary of important US China news in October 2019. The Trump-Xi Jinping meeting in Chile, to finalise some kind of trade agreement, has to be rescheduled elsewhere, after the kind of protests Xi would never allow at home cancelled an APEC summit this month. Chinese officials “are casting doubts about reaching a comprehensive long-term trade deal” with the US even as they edge closer to signing a “phase one” agreement, reported Bloomberg. Beijing won’t budge on the thorniest issues, and Trump’s demand that Beijing commit to big purchases of American farm products has become a major sticking point. While Trump earlier presented farm goods sales as…

• 0
• • Facebook
  • Twitter
• 0

The US and China played a little nicer than usual. Trade negotiators met face-to-face, for the first time in nearly two months, to lay the groundwork for high-level talks in early October that optimists hope will deliver an interim trade deal and calm months of turmoil. This article is a summary of major US China news in September 2019. A deal to end the nearly 15-month trade war could happen “sooner than you think”, claimed President Donald claimed this week. His administration is denying reports that Chinese equities will be blocked or delisted from US exchanges, and limits imposed on US investment in Chinese firms and markets. Chinese importers will buy US soybeans and pork, China’s Ministry of Commerce confirmed, as the two governments made conciliatory gestures ahead of trade talks early next month, their 13th attempt at resolving the trade war. A 30-strong Chinese delegation met counterparts at the US Trade Representative’s office near the White House.…

• 0
• • Facebook
  • Twitter
• 0

“This is not my trade war, this is a trade war that should have taken place a long time ago, by a lot of other presidents,” said Donald Trump of the issue dominating US China relations during his presidency. This article is a summary of important US China news in August 2019. “Somebody had to do it. I am the chosen one,” claimed Trump, who added that China has been “ripping off” America for 25 years or more. By the end of the month, the two sides appeared to be in talks about talks in September, but Trump’s flip-flopping and determination to depict China as caving in negotiations have confirmed Beijing’s worst fears -he can’t be trusted to cut a deal, Chinese officials told Bloomberg. As both sides planned tariff hikes, China’s commerce ministry said the possibility of progress at talks likely in September hinges on whether Washington can create favourable conditions. Two Chinese…

• 0
• • Facebook
  • Twitter
• 0

Landmarks from the troubled history of US China relations include Shanghai, the setting for a famous Communique during US President Richard Nixon’s breakthrough 1972 visit. More modest hopes accompanied the late July visit to the east China port by Donald Trump’s negotiators. This article is a summary of major US China news in July 2019. They tackled familiar ground: intellectual property, forced technology transfer, non-tariff barriers, agriculture, services, the trade deficit, and enforcement. At the same time, China is pushing hard to conclude the world’s largest regional trade agreement – the RCEP, which doesn’t include the USA. China even has the chance to turn “a crisis into an opportunity”, said the Politburo. In a goodwill gesture, Beijing gave the go-ahead for five companies to buy up to 3 million tonnes of US soybeans free of retaliatory import tariffs, reported Bloomberg, with more waivers possible depending on the talks. China is stealing “its way up the ladder”, said…

• 0
• • Facebook
  • Twitter
• 0

Donald Trump made the most headlines on his Asian trip by becoming the first sitting US president to set foot on North Korean soil – by walking into the DMZ for an historic meeting with Kim Jong Un. Yet his earlier meeting with Xi Jinping was the more anticipated, for its impact on troubled China US relations. This article is a summary of important US China news in June 2019. On the side-lines of the G20 in Osaka, which they overshadowed (again), Trump and Xi agreed to a new cease-fire in their yearlong trade war, averting an escalation, for now at least, as stalled trade talks would resume and the US would hold off on threatened additional tariffs on Chinese goods. The US president says that negotiations about telecoms giant Huawei will be left to the end of the negotiations with China. In the meantime he has allowed US companies to…

• 0
• • Facebook
  • Twitter
• 0

China US relations, often cited as the world’s most important bilateral relationship, endured another testy month. Beijing will fight “to the end” in the trade war, warned China’s state broadcaster, in response to Donald Trump’s surprise tariff hike. “After 5,000 years of wind and rain, what hasn’t the Chinese nation weathered?” said the anchor in a widely-watched, punchy commentary. This article is a summary of major US China news in May 2019. Despite tough rhetoric and new tariffs from both sides, Trump predicted “a very fruitful meeting” with Xi in late June at the G20 in Japan. “China is becoming a very weakened nation” and “would love to make a deal with us,” he insisted. New Chinese tariffs come into effect on 1 June, and further “goodwill” purchases of US soy have been put on hold. “We advise the US side not to underestimate the Chinese side’s ability to safeguard its development rights and interests. Don’t…

• 0
• • Facebook
  • Twitter
• 0

Donald Trump’s negotiators visited Beijing again for trade war talks, with a Chinese delegation bound later for DC. But don’t expect a quick fix for China US relations. These negotiations could stretch for weeks or months, warned economic adviser Larry Kudlow. “This is not time-dependent. This is policy- and enforcement-dependent,” he said. This article is a summary of major US China news in March 2019. Beijing has made proposals that go further than before, including on forced technology transfer, US officials told Reuters. Yet history haunts the discussions as China, very conscious of the “unequal treaties” imposed after the first Opium War, pushes back against US demands. Trump threatened to keep high tariffs against Chinese goods until he’s certain Beijing is complying with any new trade agreement. US officials downplayed the likelihood of a quick deal, as the US trade representative and Treasury secretary readied for another Beijing trip next week. Trump pushed his team to get China to…

• 0
• • Facebook
  • Twitter
• 0

Talks to resolve the trade war dominating US China relations took place in Beijing then Washington, and went well enough for President Donald Trump to extend the truce. But after abandoning unsuccessful talks with North Korea, he suggested he could do the same with China: “I am always prepared to walk,” he said. This article is a summary of important US China news in February 2019. US Trade Rep Robert Lighthizer played down hopes of a quick deal and warned that new problems are likely. One apparent breakthrough: an enforcement mechanism for promised reforms, with punishment if complaints are not resolved, but plenty of experts consider enforcement difficult if not impossible. The structural reforms to economic and trade policies demanded by Washington could take years to enact, warned China’s ambassador. With the 1 March deadline looming for an end to the truce, and a sharp escalation in US tariffs, Trump said he would extend that deadline and plan to meet his…

• 0
• • Facebook
  • Twitter
• 0