July 14th, 2017
Sunday marks the end of the “100-day” plan, agreed to by Presidents Trump and Xi at their Mar-a-Lago meeting in April. Delegations from the two governments will meet Wednesday for the first meeting of the Comprehensive Economic Dialogue. USCBC will report on relevant news from this event throughout next week.
Comprehensive Economic Dialogue: Background, Details, and Expectations
The CED is part of a four-pillar structure agreed to by the US and China...
July 7th, 2017
Xi criticizes protectionism at G20 meeting; Trump-Xi meeting anticipated among tension
Speaking at the start of the G20 meeting in Hamburg this week, Chinese President Xi Jinping criticized unnamed “major” developed nations for recent actions on trade and climate change. He denounced calls for reversing globalization and returns to protectionism. Xi encouraged the BRICS nations to “speak in one voice to steer the world economy in [the] right direction.”
...June 23rd, 2017
US and Chinese governments meet on strategic and diplomatic issues
Cabinet officials from the United States and China met this week in Washington for the first Diplomatic and Strategic Dialogue, one of four new dialogues created as an outcome of the April summit between Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping. Led by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Secretary of Defence James Mattis, State Councillor Yang Jiechi and Chief of the Joint Staff General Fang Fenghui...
June 16th, 2017
Further progress on 100-day plan
Several developments were announced this week regarding the initial 100-day outcomes between the US and Chinese governments announced in May. This week, several further steps were taken:
Foreign Investment
China’s State Council released on Friday a revised list of foreign trade zone (FTZ) investment restrictions that may allow companies additional market access in the 11 designated free trade zone...
June 9th, 2017
Mnuchin prioritizes specific issues, then the BIT
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin was the luncheon speaker for USCBC’s 44th annual membership meeting this week, saying in his discussion with USCBC President John Frisbie that a bilateral investment treaty (BIT) with China is on the Trump administration’s agenda, but after specific market access issues are addressed. The Trump administration is currently in the midst of negotiations on a 100-day plan with China...
June 2nd, 2017
Steel, aluminum reports due end of June
The Commerce Department will give President Trump its recommendations on whether it is necessary to restrict aluminum and steel imports under Section 232 of US trade law by the end of June. These investigations were required by Trump’s executive order, which originally set a deadline of January 2018, the maximum amount of time allocated under US law. However, the president asked the department...
May 31st, 2017
Lighthizer meets MOFCOM counterpart at APEC
US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer met his Chinese counterpart, Commerce Minister Zhong Shan, on the margins of the APEC Trade Ministers meeting this week in Hanoi. According to news reports, Lighthizer said in the meeting that a trade war was not in the interest of either country. China's commerce minister Zhong Shan told Lighthizer the two sides should strengthen cooperation and manage disputes in trade,...
Lighthizer sworn in, makes rounds on Hill, flies to Hanoi
Robert Lighthizer was sworn in as US Trade Representative at the White House on Monday afternoon. On Tuesday, he met with the Senate Finance Committee to outline the administration’s goals. On Wednesday, Lighthizer met with the House Ways and Means Committee before leaving Thursday for the APEC meeting in Hanoi. Lighthizer completes the Trump administration’s full trade team, allowing them to notify Congress...
Branstad on target for June arrival in Beijing
Ambassador to China-designate Terry Branstad’s May 2 confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee put him on track to be in Beijing in June if the process moves forward as expected. The long-time Republican governor of Iowa and personal acquaintance of Chinese President Xi Jinping made it clear that this relationship would not prevent him from being tough on China when necessary.
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As President Donald Trump marks 100 days in office, his rhetoric toward China has been tempered, he has changed his views on currency manipulation, and his first face-to-face meeting with President Xi Jinping recast bilateral dialogues. So far, so good - but substantive outcomes are still to be determined.
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