Registration / Login
text version
War and Peace

 Hot news

Main page » News » View
Printable version
G20 summit: Trump and Xi agree to restart US-China trade talks
29.06.19 19:29 Economics

The US and China have agreed to resume trade talks, easing a long row that has contributed to a global economic slowdown.

US President Donald Trump and Chinas President Xi Jinping reached agreement at the G20 summit in Japan.

Mr Trump also said he would allow US companies to continue to sell to the Chinese tech giant Huawei, in a move seen as a significant concession.

Mr Trump had threatened additional trade sanctions on China.

However, after the meeting on the sidelines of the main G20 summit in Osaka, he confirmed that the US would not be adding tariffs on $300bn (£236bn) worth of Chinese imports.

He also said he would continue to negotiate with Beijing "for the time being".

And at a subsequent press conference, the US president declared that US technology companies could again sell to Chinas Huawei - effectively reversing a ban imposed last month by the US commerce department.

President Trump has positioned his trade talks with Xi Jinping as a win for the US - but he may have also given Beijing exactly what it wants on Huawei.

It is still not clear whether what Mr Trump has announced is a complete reversal - but if it is, it would be a significant concession by the US on a company that Washington has said is a threat to national security.

The resumption of talks and pressing the pause button on more tariffs will be seen in the short term as positive for markets and American businesses. Those have already complained about the cost of further tariffs saying that if they had gone ahead - American consumers would have ended up paying something like $12bn more in higher prices

Chinese businesses have been suffering too - the trade war has hit investment plans, business confidence, and exports in the worlds second largest economy. But pressing pause doesnt mean the trade war is over. Tariffs on hundreds of billions of dollars worth of goods are still in place. And the two sides still have much to agree on.

Washington wants Beijing to fundamentally change the way Chinas economy has grown over the past four decades - get rid of subsidies to state owned companies, open up the domestic market and most importantly, hold China to account if it fails to deliver on any of these commitments.

But Beijing has already publicly said that it wont budge on issues of principle or bow to US pressure.

How the two sides close that gap will be the real test of any trade truce. For now - it is a positive thing that theyre talking again. But talking can only take you so far.

How has the US-China trade dispute escalated?

The US and China have been fighting a damaging trade war over the past year.

Mr Trump accused China of stealing intellectual property and forcing US firms to share trade secrets in order to do business in China, which in turn said US demands for business reform were unreasonable.

The feud escalated in the months leading up to the summit, after talks between the two countries collapsed in May.

Will whats happened in Osaka change the situation?

The truce signals a pause in hostilities rather than a resolution of the dispute, which has caused market turbulence and hit global growth.

Mr Trump said his meeting with Mr Xi was "excellent, as good as it was going to be," adding: "We discussed a lot of things and were right back on track and well see what happens."

Chinas state news agency Xinhua quoted Mr Xi as saying: "China and the US have highly integrated interests and extensive co-operation areas and they should not fall into so-called traps of conflict and confrontation."

Whats the situation with Huawei?

Washington has publicly said the firms technology poses a national security risk, although Mr Trump has also linked the issue to the trade dispute.

Last month, the US banned Huawei from buying US goods without a licence - including from Google, which is crucial to many of its products. The ban could cost the firm $30bn (£24bn) in revenue this year.

Some analysts see the ban as an attempt by the US to contain a powerful Chinese firm.

Mr Trumps decision to allow US companies to continue to sell to Huawei "where theres no great national security problem" could be a substantial concession, although exactly how this will play out remains unclear.

Mr Trump said the Huawei situation would be dealt with "at the very end" of trade talks.

Where next for the G20?

The next summit is due to be held in Saudi Arabia in November 2020.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has continued to face questions in Osaka over the murder in Istanbul last year of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi and the matter is likely to rumble on.

The UKs Theresa May and Turkeys Recep Tayyip Erdogan are among those still pressing the issue, although Mr Trump says "no-one blames" the crown prince.

 

Ðóññêèé
Archive
Forum

 Exclusiveread more rss

» Destruction of Ukraine’s Central Bank
» The World files their 27 Grievances against the United States of America.
» Yom Kippur War Redux – Petrol D0llar’s Last Hurrah
» How the Alchemists saved the Planet in 2019
» What will the US Treaty of Paris look like?
» Addition by Subtraction, (x, y)↦x−y
» Too Little, Too Late, will there be a Romanov ending for the Sudairi Seven?
» Week 21: When economic arguments end, the arms race begins

 Newsread more rss

» Afghan Taliban leader accuses U.S. of creating doubts over pact
» Kyrgyz President Accuses Atambayev of Violating Constitution by Resisting Detention
» Chinese foreign ministry slams U.S. interference in Venezuela
» With an eye on Russia, China and a horse, Pentagon chief visits Mongolia
» Pentagon Claims Iran Uses GPS Jamming in the Gulf So It Can Lure and Seize Foreign Ships
» USAF X-37B Military Space Planes Mystery Mission Circling Earth Hits 700 Days
» China destabilizing Indo-Pacific: U.S. Defense Secretary
» EU must change its negotiating terms for Brexit, says Barclay

 Reportsread more rss

» A Brief History of the CIA’s Dirty War in South Sudan
» US GDP report: Keynes on steroids
» Are Russia and the US Finally on the Same Page in Afghanistan?
» The IMF Takeover of Pakistan
» Voices from Syria’s Rukban Refugee Camp Belie Corporate Media Reporting
» Report Shows Corporations and Bolsonaro Teaming Up to Destroy the Amazon
» Ukraine: the presidents change, but the oligarchical system remains the same
» The Cowardice of Aung San Suu Kyi

 Commentariesread more rss

» The Biggest Threat to the US Indo-Pacific Strategy? Washington Itself.
» Ukraine on the cusp of change
» India’s Looming Agricultural Crisis: A Unique Chance to Change the System?
» The Saker interviews Stephen Karganovic
» Media and Politicians Ignore Oncoming Financial Crisis
» In an astonishing turn, George Soros and Charles Koch team up to end US ‘forever war’ policy
» Vladimir Putin says liberalism has ‘become obsolete’
» You Are Fighting In The Most Important Battle Of All Time

 Analysisread more rss

» A battle for supremacy between China and the US
» UAE Withdrawal from Yemen
» US, Pakistan move in tandem to end Afghan war
» Is Baoshang Bank China’s Lehman Brothers?
» From the Green Revolution to GMOs: Toxic Agriculture Is the Problem Not the Solution
» OPEC+ oil supply cuts signal smooth Gulf sailing
» G20 Osaka: the end of American leadership?
» Trump’s Brilliant Strategy to Dismember U.S. Dollar Hegemony
 
text version The site was founded by Natalia Laval in 2006 © 2006-2024 Inca Group "War and Peace"