International News
Things are getting worse. That’s a conclusion one might have reasonably reached after reading this week’s US-China headlines.First, there was Hong Kong, a matter Beijing has warned Washington to stay clear of. Protesters last weekend battled police, vandalized shops and paralyzed swaths of the Asia financial center. Then President Donald Trump tied outcomes in Hong Kong to trade.
Next, as China’s top trade negotiator prepared to travel to Washington for a new round of talks, the US blacklisted eight prominent Chinese tech firms. In explaining the action, the US cited the companies’ involvement in China’s westernmost Xinjiang province, where up to a million predominantly Muslim ethnic minorities have been allegedly detained.
A day later, the US imposed travel bans on Chinese officials linked to Xinjiang. And it emerged that the Trump administration was moving ahead with discussing possible limits on portfolio flows into China.
These are not events that instill confidence in the state of what is increasingly the world’s most-important bilateral relationship. But there’s also another way to see it.
The Global Times, a state-run Chinese newspaper known for its more hawkish tone, brushed off the blacklisting as a gambit for leverage ahead of this week’s trade negotiations. These American attempts to add "bargaining chips" won't sway China's approach to the talks, it added.
Could the week's events have been more about positioning than a reflection of growing conflict? The latest round of talks may give us a better idea. Or they won’t. But if what the past week has illustrated is a deterioration in U.S.-China ties, that’ll be bad for everyone....READ MORE
No comments:
Post a Comment