Editor’s Note: Every Wednesday, WPR Newsletter and Engagement Editor Benjamin Wilhelm curates the week’s top news and expert analysis on China.
In the latest sign of an escalating campaign in Washington to pin the blame for the coronavirus pandemic on China, President Donald Trump’s administration is weighing aggressive economic action against Beijing. Facing criticism for his disastrous response to COVID-19 in the U.S., Trump has elevated China to the forefront of his reelection bid, claiming that it bears all responsibility for the coronavirus outbreak and the economic devastation it has wrought.
In a Fox News town hall on Sunday, Trump vowed to terminate the “phase-one” U.S.-China trade deal if Beijing fails to follow through on its planned purchases of American goods. Washington is also “turbocharging” efforts to shift global industrial supply chains out of China and curb bilateral investment flows, Reuters reports.