Financial Times (May 9)
“China’s exports grew sharply in April despite Donald Trump’s ‘liberation’ day tariffs on shipments to the US, strengthening Beijing’s hand ahead of crucial trade negotiations due to start this weekend.” Chinese companies were able to divert “trade flows to south-east Asia, Europe and other destinations following the imposition of prohibitively high tit-for-tat tariffs between the world’s two largest economies.” Though year on year exports to the U.S. dropped by 21% in April, China’s overall global exports increased 8.1%.”
Tags: April, Beijing, China, Divert, Europe, Exports, Liberation day, Shipments, South-east Asia, Tariffs, Trade negotiations, Trump, U.S.
Washington Post (October 29)
“China’s conduct in recent days in the South China Sea seems neither accidental nor unintentional.” President Xi Jinping may be trying to divert “his people’s attention from growing domestic problems — a faltering economy and a leadership crisis.” Regardless of China’s motives, “it’s imperative that the administration send constant reminders to Beijing and to America’s allies in the region that the United States is a Pacific power and can deal with multiple crises at once.”
Tags: Accidental, Allies, Attention, China, Conduct, Divert, Domestic problems, Faltering economy, Leadership crisis, Motives, Reminders, South China Sea, U.S., Unintentional, Xi
