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Beijing, China – The hopes of this week's meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping during the G20 in Argentina will lead to a commercial breakthrough. Analysts and corporate executives have expressed disappointment at the intensification of tensions as the summit approaches.
The high-stakes meeting between the two leaders in Buenos Aires was hailed as an ultimate opportunity for Beijing and Washington to resolve trade disputes and avoid new US tariffs on Chinese exports next year. .
For example, Henry Wang, chairman of the China-based Think Tank on China and Globalization, was surprised when US trade representative Robert Lighthizer issued a statement saying China had failed to change. unfair, unreasonable and market distorting practices ".
"It is not appropriate to publish this negative report before the summit.This does not promote a constructive dialogue, and it does not look good," Wang said.
The findings are part of an update of the US Trade Representative's "Section 301" investigation into Chinese IP policies and technology transfer.
"They give the impression that things are not well coordinated," Wang said.
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China pledges to reduce tariffs and open up market access |
"President Trump says something, Lighthizer says something different, and the same goes for [economic adviser Larry] Kudlow etc. China has maintained its message of wanting to dialogue and solve the problem. This should be the attitude of both sides. "
Mutual distrust
Officials in Beijing have launched an offensive to the spokesman of the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, Gao Feng, telling reporters that the Trump administration has launched new charges "totally unacceptable" and "baseless" against the Chinese side.
The ministry is also assessing the potential impact of a separate US proposal to strengthen technology export controls, stating that it would take the necessary steps to protect the interests of Chinese companies.
"These measures taken by the United States only diminish confidence," said Liu Zhiqin, senior researcher at Renmin University's Global Governance Research Center.
"At the moment, the United States does not trust China and, unfortunately, many in China doubt the sincerity of the Trump government in its desire to find a real solution." Trump actually wants improve our trade relations, or is China a part of its political concerns? " attraction?"
This mutual mistrust was highlighted Wednesday at a meeting of the World Trade Organization in Geneva, during which envoys from China and the UN accused the other of hypocrisy and violation of the rules of the WTO.
US Trade Representative and WTO ambassador, Dennis Shea, said China was using the WTO to promote "non-market policies," while a Chinese representative said states The United States was only blaming China for concealing its own violations of the WTO rules.
"Equity and clarity"
The president of the American Chamber of Commerce in China, William Zarit, said that Washington had simply lost patience with Beijing.
"Many years of discussions with the Chinese government have only produced marginal progress," he told Al Jazeera by e-mail.
"The regulations always move in a direction that seems to go against the values of fairness and clarity.We would like the Chinese government to offer reciprocal treatment to US companies so that they feel welcome." in China in the same way that Chinese companies have been welcomed. " the United States, "said Zarit.
The Trump administration has imposed tariffs of $ 250 billion on Chinese imports in an attempt to force concessions in Beijing. The tariff rate on $ 200 billion of Chinese exports to the United States is expected to increase from 10% to 25% on January 1st.
Despite recent bitter talks, Trump has expressed confidence in Washington's punitive approach. On Thursday, he told reporters in Florida: "China wants very badly to conclude an agreement – because of tariffs".
Zarit, however, does not share this confidence, saying that tariffs alone are not the best way to address trade concerns. "To exert pressure without negotiating will probably not give the optimal result," he said.
Sedentary relations between China and the United States have not been limited to trade. At the 2018 APEC conference in Papua New Guinea earlier this month, President Xi and US Vice President Mike Pence exchanged thinly veiled attacks. Xi criticized the "winner" unilaterally takes the unilateral position of the United States, while Pence doubled the emphasis on China's militarization of the South China Sea infrastructure initiative, as well as infrastructure of Belts and Roads.
Open hostility has led to speculation that the next G20 meeting would only result in confrontation and not collaboration.
"The situation will come to fruition at the G20," Larry Kudlow, an economics adviser at the White House, told reporters last week.
Uncertain concern
Global markets collapsed as Hong Kong and Shanghai stocks were hardest hit as investors prepared for an explosive trade war.
Wang and Liu both rejected the idea that the Xi-Trump meeting would look like a dramatic confrontation, claiming that the hope of a solution in China had not completely extinguished.
"We must not underestimate the gesture of holding this important high-level meeting, and both sides have expressed their support for this meeting and have been planning it for a long time," Wang said.
"This shows that both leaders have the will and determination to solve these problems."
Liu, however, took a slightly less optimistic tone.
"Of course, we still hope for a positive outcome," he said, "but we must recognize that there are so many difficulties and uncertainties here, and we will not be able to solve them. in less than a week. "
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