Whats ahead for US-China tariffs, trade talks? Top experts weigh in South China Morning Post
Journalists accompanying the U.S. players are among the first Americans allowed to enter China since 1949. Shortly thereafter, the United Nations recognizes the People’s Republic of China, endowing it with the permanent Security Council seat that had been held by Chiang Kai-shek’s Republic of China on Taiwan since 1945. China, in support of the communist North, retaliates when U.S., UN, and South Korean troops approach the Chinese border. Trump Tariffs Target China Any U.S. decoupling from China could reach its limits in the next decade since the two economies are still greatly interdependent, writes experts from the Carnegie Endowment of International Peace. “Both China and the United States have an interest in preserving much of their economic relationship,” their report argues. As the U.S. technology sector continues to develop, previous administrations have sought to restrict exports to protect U.S. technology from advancing the Chinese military. Uncertainty around Taiwan The semiconductor industry is highly globalized, and the US’s misuse of control measures severely hinders normal economic and trade exchanges between countries, disrupts market rules and the international economic and trade order, and threatens the stability of the global industrial and supply chains. China will take necessary measures to resolutely safeguard its legitimate rights and interests. Biden and Xi share a phone call on April 2 to reiterate their agenda from the November summit as well as their continuing efforts to address climate change and people-to-people exchanges. Meanwhile, U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen leads an economic delegation to China, and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin resumes dialogue with China’s Minister of National Defense, Admiral Dong Jun, for the first time since November 2022. China Becomes Largest U.S. Foreign Creditor Ahead of the conference, U.S. officials say that images from U.S. naval surveillance provide evidence that China is placing military equipment on a chain of artificial islands, despite Beijing’s claims that construction is mainly for civilian purposes. President Richard Nixon spends eight days in China in February 1972, during which he the little book that still beats the market meets Chairman Mao and signs the Shanghai Communiqué with Premier Zhou Enlai. The communiqué sets the stage for improved U.S.-Sino relations by allowing China and the United States to discuss difficult issues, particularly Taiwan. However, normalization of relations between the two countries makes slow progress for much of the decade. According to the report by China’s state media Xinhua Agency, Xi has warned Washington about building closer links with self-ruled Taiwan and called for cooperation with the US on economic development and avoiding decoupling. Admittedly, these institutions can become overzealous and trample on the civil liberties of diaspora populations, as evidenced by the Department of Justice’s China Initiative that deliberately criminalized Chinese scientists. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo delivers a speech, titled “Communist China and the Free World’s Future,” signaling a profound shift in U.S. policy. The summit aims to demonstrate some repairing of ties between the two countries—ultimately meeting low expectations. A statement from a spokesperson from the Chinese Foreign Ministry confirmed that the airship was Chinese but that it is “a civilian airship used for research, mainly meteorological, purposes”. In a meeting of the Financial Stability and Development Committee (FSDC) on March 16, Vice Premier Liu He said that the US and Chinese regulatory agencies have maintained “good communication” and are working on forming a specific cooperation plan. Everything We Still Don’t Know Ahead of Trump’s Big Tariff Week In this regard, U.S. state and civil society actors should take a note from the Taiwanese, who have developed such a culture of vigilance against disinformation from the PRC. Importantly, this institutional lacuna is accompanied by the federal government’s reluctance to regulate tech companies, resulting in them assuming a pseudo-government role. Already, social media companies are spreading authoritarian practices by creating an information environment that breeds falsehoods in the collective consciousness before they can be corrected. Into this under-regulated digital swamp enters foreign governments’ disinformation campaigns, augmented by AI-generated content. The human tendency to hallucinate about AI may ultimately prove more dangerous than AI hallucinations themselves, especially when those musings feature in the U.S.-China relationship. As US and Chinese officials meet in China, Al Jazeera examines the nations’ relationship over several decades. On trade more broadly, it will require more U.S. pressure to alter Beijing’s protectionist trade policies. The United States, European Union, and Japan are discussing industrial subsidies, and if a common position is reached, that could aid World Trade Organization reform and put pressure on China to curb and be transparent on its massive subsidies. Regarding tech competition, the United States needs to step up its game on regulation and manufacturing—major legislation to fund $52 billion of U.S. chip production has lingered for a year. What the Israel-Iran War and Ceasefire Mean for China’s Relations With the U.S. and World In addition to increasing the tariffs, the Biden administration has also vowed to take action against countries and importers that seek to circumvent the rules and avoid tariffs. It also said it would work with Mexico to prevent China and other countries from evading tariffs by importing products through Mexico. On trade, Biden’s policies—such as investment restrictions on Chinese technology sectors—were a point of friction. However, the two leaders found common ground on the importance of preventing the use of artificial intelligence in nuclear decision-making. Decoding the Trump-Bibi Meeting In 2006, China surpasses Mexico as the United States’ second-biggest trade partner, after Canada. In the spring of 1989, thousands of students hold demonstrations in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square, demanding democratic reforms and an end to corruption. On June 3, the government sends in military troops to clear the square, leaving hundreds of protesters dead. In the first public sign of warming relations between Washington and Beijing, China’s ping-pong team invites members of the U.S. team to China on April 6, 1971. After global markets take a plunge, Trump issues a ninety-day pause on all countries except China, which triggers another cascade of tariff retaliations from both countries. As of April 11, U.S. tariffs