Diana Choyleva, Author at Enodo Blog

Chinese Economic Spying Piles Pressure on US China Relations

China US News January 31, 2019

While tough trade talks continued, US officials laid out the large extent of Chinese economic espionage in the USA, with indictments against Huawei and China-related spying investigations in nearly all of the FBI’s 56 field offices nationwide. “China writ large is the most significant counterintelligence threat we face,” warned its director. This article is a summary of major US China news in January 2019. The US Justice Department filed nearly two dozen criminal charges against Chinese telecoms giant Huawei for a “company-wide effort” to steal trade secrets from T-Mobile USA. The indictments, marking an escalation in the US-China confrontation, represent a primer on “how they do IP theft”, suggested one US lawyer. Donald Trump met his opposite number Xi Jinping’s top economic aide, Liu He, after trade talks in Washington. The US President cautioned that no final deal will be made until he met “my friend President Xi” to “agree on some of the long standing and…

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Talks To Ease US China Relations, as Huawei CFO and Two Canadians Detained

China US News December 31, 2018

3-Tech-war-notitle-Ее.png In a stunning development, Huawei’s CFO was detained in Canada ahead of possible extradition to the US on Iran sanctions-breaking charges. The ambitious telecoms firm highlights the technological rivalry at the heart of China US relations. This article is a summary of important US China news in December 2018. Meng Wanzhou was held 1 December, the same day that Donald Trump held trade talks and a “wonderful” dinner with Xi Jining in Buenos Aires. Trump may not have known of the impending arrest, but members of his team did. Meng later achieved bail ahead of extradition hearings, and her firm denied any wrongdoing. Beijing responded with hostage diplomacy – detaining Canadians Michael Kovrig, a former diplomat, and Michael Spavor, a businessman, on suspicion of endangering state security. Bail is not an option. Trump said he would intervene with the Justice Dept on Meng’s behalf if it would help secure a China deal, but a US…

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Prepping for a Dinner Date To Resolve China US Relations

China US News October 31, 2018

After months of talking about talks, and continued turmoil in US China relations, the two countries agreed to meet in Brazil in late November. Donald Trump said trade discussions are “moving along nicely” ahead of his dinner date with Xi Jinping on 1 December. This article is a summary of important US China news in October 2018. Washington had been refusing to resume trade negotiations until Beijing produced a concrete proposal to address forced technology transfers and other complaints. The US declined to send senior officials to attend the Xi-backed import expo in Shanghai. China’s central bank denied devaluing its currency to weather the trade war. One area of potential conflict may see real concessions from Beijing: a new, top-level court is planned, to hear appeals in IPR cases. Two prominent Chinese economists broke with Communist party orthodoxy to blame the China Model for the trade tensions. Declining to help Trump escalate his trade fight, the Treasury stated in a report that Beijing was…

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US China Relations Hit by Escalating Trade War

China US News August 31, 2018

The trade war between China and the USA escalated, even as negotiators from the two governments met in Washington to explore ways of defusing the major turmoil in US China relations. This article is a summary of important China US news in December 2018. The US slapped tariffs on a further $16bn of Chinese imports , triggering reciprocal levies by Beijing. Two American airlines cut routes between China and the US, underscoring increasingly tough competition from state-backed Chinese rivals. China won’t resort to competitive currency devaluation, or to strong stimulus to support the slowing economy, said senior officials from the central bank. Their rare news conference followed a sharp drop in the yuan, that Trump claimed showed Beijing was deliberately manipulating its currency. Trump signed a $716bn defence bill that included controls on government defence contracts with China’s ZTE Corp and Huawei Technologies Co. China’s defence ministry criticised the bill for being “filled with a cold-war mentality” that advocated confrontations between the…

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How Punitive Can I be? Trump Weighs Tariffs in US China Trade War

China US News July 31, 2018

The trade war continued to roil US China relations as Trump announced punitive tariffs on a further $200bn of imports from China, and considered raising the stakes by increasing this level. This article is a summary of major US China news in July 2018. Administration advisers urged the US President to force Chinese negotiators to the table by applying tariffs as high as 25% on $200bn of Chinese imports, up from an original proposal for 10%, reported the Wall Street Journal. Trump’s earlier announcement prompted angry reaction from Beijing, which called the move “totally unacceptable”. China’s yuan and stock indexes fel. A spokesperson for China’s Ministry of Commerce vowed that countermeasures would be taken, although no specific actions were mentioned. Worried about the impact on economic growth of the trade war with the US, and the de-risking campaign, China’s policy makers took action. New moves aimed at averting an excessive domestic slowdown came from both the monetary…

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Tariff Threats Loom Over US China Relations

China US News June 30, 2018

Both sides made efforts but doubts remained that the US and China could avert the looming trade war, largely responsible for Chinese equity markets tumbling and a further downturn in China US relations. This article is a summary of important US China news in June 2018. A number of White House officials attempted to restart talks with China before tariffs set to take effect on July 6, and Xi Jinping enlisted the help of foreign chief executives – including the CEOs of some US companies. Beijing wants to avoid firmer measures against the US, observers say, but may consider moves that would restrict US investment in China and make it difficult for Chinese companies to transact business with US firms. The US government passed a bill to tighten foreign investment rules, spurred by concerns about Chinese acquisitions of companies producing politically sensitive or sophisticated technology. Congress also advanced laws to toughen national security reviews of foreign deals , with…

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Trade War Truce but Threats Darken US China Relations

China US News May 31, 2018

China rejected Trump administration claims that officials in Beijing had agreed to his demand that China cut its trade surplus with the US by $200bn. Despite conciliatory signals, the trade war continued to dominate China US relations. This article is a summary of important US China news in May 2018. China announced cuts in import tariffs on a range of items including home appliances, apparel, cosmetics and fitness products, amid intense criticism by Washington of China’s big trade surplus with the US. Trump reaffirmed his intention to impose a 25% tariff on $50bn worth of Chinese imports. The US President wants to reduce the surplus by $200bn by 2020 and to preserve America’s technological lead by disrupting Xi Jinping’s “Made in China 2025” industrial upgrading plan. The White House statement confirming the coming tariffs on China said they would focus on goods containing “industrially significant technology”. “We hope the US will stop acting on impulse. But…

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