Editor’s Note: Every Wednesday, WPR Newsletter and Engagement Editor Benjamin Wilhelm curates the week’s top news and expert analysis on China.
As U.S. and Chinese negotiators scramble to finalize a “phase one” trade agreement, uncertainty is rising over whether a deal can actually be reached. Beijing has responded angrily to recently passed legislation in the U.S. that targets China for human rights violations, and President Donald Trump suggested Tuesday that he could wait until after the 2020 U.S. presidential election to complete a trade deal with China.
Some observers on both sides of the Pacific see these developments as impediments to finalizing the phase one deal, which Trump announced in October but has not been signed. Yet, while there is a possibility that the talks could break down, a trade deal is still in both countries’ best interest.