In the complex geopolitical tussles between Washington and Beijing, there is always more than meets the eye. From the Chinese perspective, Beijing did well in pulling off a temporary truce at a time when #Trump’s advisers #RobertLighthizer and #PeterNavarro appear to be using trade as a ruse to pursue an ominous anti-China agenda. By agreeing to trade concessions in talks led by #StevenMnuchin and the US Commerce Secretary #WilburRoss, who will visit Beijing soon, China was able to exploit their open division with those anti-China elements in the White House to push back their more hawkish agenda.

In addition, #China has used the trade talks as a bargaining chip to get Trump to lift a seven-year ban on #ZTE, one of China’s largest telecom companies, from purchasing #US parts crucial to its products. More importantly, China’s recent moves to strengthen its ties with #NorthKorea also helped it gain the upper hand in the trade talks with US. From the beginning, Trump has dangled the suggestion that if China used its influence on North Korea, the US would go easy on trade disputes with China.


#WorldEconomy #Protectionism #America #Globalisation #GlobalTrade #TradeWars #EconomicRisk #Economy #TradePolicy #InternationalTrade #TradeTariffs #Politics #Geopolitics #InternationalRelations
THERE IS MORE TO THE CHINA-US TRADE WAR TRUCE THAN MEETS THE EYE
http://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/2147739/there-more-china-us-trade-war-truce-meets-eye

#China agreed to buy more US agricultural and energy products to help narrow a record bilateral #tradedeficit, addressing a key demand US President Donald #Trump has pursued since announcing punitive tariffs threatening to push the two countries into an all-out trade war. Some US$200bn in annual two-way trade has been at stake since Lighthizer’s department, under orders from Trump, published a list of Chinese imports last month that would be subject to sharply higher import tariffs after a period of review ends on May 22.

The agreement announced Saturday (May 19) would likely keep intact exports of America’s soybeans, the largest agricultural export in terms of value. That would provide some cover for Trump, who drew substantial support from farming states for his winning presidential campaign of 2016. The joint statement from the White House appeared to confirm that #PeterNavarro, who has pushed the hardest line against China among Trump’s top advisers, was not involved in the most recent round of talks.


#WorldEconomy #Protectionism #America #Globalisation #GlobalTrade #TradeWars #EconomicRisk #Economy #TradePolicy #InternationalTrade #TradeTariffs #Politics #Geopolitics #InternationalRelations #US
China to buy more US agricultural, energy products to cut trade deficit
http://www.scmp.com/news/china/economy/article/2146923/china-buy-more-us-agricultural-energy-products-cut-trade-deficit

Tensions between #Trump administration moderates and hardliners on trade with #China are boiling over ahead of talks with Chinese negotiators in Washington this week - and as President Donald Trump seems increasingly eager to reach a deal. #PeterNavarro, a Beijing critic and the standard-bearer of the president’s harsh campaign rhetoric on China, had a screaming match with Treasury Secretary #StevenMnuchin, a moderate, during an initial round of talks in Beijing two weeks ago.

On Wednesday (May 16), Navarro wasn’t named on a Treasury Department list of U.S. officials who will meet with Chinese Vice Premier #LiuHe and the rest of the Beijing delegation at Treasury on Thursday and Friday. Trump’s apparent openness to a deal has set off a panic among some of his more hard-line advisers, who blame Mnuchin for convincing the president to abandon his commitment to taking an aggressive posture toward China.


#WorldEconomy #Protectionism #America #Globalisation #GlobalTrade #TradeWars #EconomicRisk #Economy #TradePolicy #InternationalTrade #TradeTariffs #Politics #Geopolitics #InternationalRelations #US
Tensions erupt among Trump trade officials ahead of China talks
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/05/16/trump-trade-china-591201

Expectations are low that #China’s trade squabbles with the #US can be easily resolved, as three of the biggest hawks in #US President Donald #Trump’s administration prepare for a joint trip to Beijing. US Trade Representative #RobertLighthizer, National Economic Council head #LarryKudlow, and White House trade adviser #PeterNavarro will accompany US Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin to Beijing on Thursday and Friday (May 3rd and 4th), where they are scheduled to meet Chinese officials including President #XiJinping and Vice-President #WangQishan.


#GlobalEconomy #Protectionism #America #Globalisation #GlobalTrade #TradeWars #EconomicRisk #Economy #TradePolicy #InternationalTrade #TradeTariffs #Politics #Geopolitics #InternationalRelations
Expect tough talk when US trade hawks visit China, not an end to the row
http://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2143836/expect-tough-talk-when-us-trade-hawks-visit-china-not