Advertisement
Opinion | As coronavirus strains US-China relations, ensuring ‘phase one’ trade deal works is crucial
- With US-China relations at a low point and large-scale decoupling of the two economies a destabilising possibility, a pragmatic realignment of the agreement is the need of the hour
Reading Time:4 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
The past six months in US-China relations have been difficult on many fronts and the Covid-19 crisis, rather than forging a common purpose, has made them worse. Here’s where things stand.
Advertisement
On the US side, President Donald Trump has suggested, without evidence, that the virus escaped from a government lab in Wuhan. This comes as Chinese investment in the US is under greater scrutiny by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the US and the Commerce Department’s review of US technology exports with potential military use has expanded. A new rule that has been proposed would give the department power to unwind deals impacting internet and communications technology supply chains.
Huawei remains a target, with semiconductor manufacturers that use US equipment or software barred from selling to the company without government approval. Other nations are being pressed to enact similar restrictions. Congress is weighing in with sanctions in response to China’s treatment of Uygurs and its imposition of a national security law on Hong Kong.
China, for its part, has reacted aggressively to questions surrounding the origin of the virus, attacking governments that have suggested it be explored. Inside China, scientists researching the subject are now required to submit their work for government review before it can be published.
Attempts like this to control the narrative undermine trust and discourage cooperation. China revoked the press credentials of journalists from mainstream US media like The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times while the US required some Chinese media offices to register as foreign government representatives and reduce their staff. Both moves limit our windows on each other.
02:06
Coronavirus pandemic creates ‘new Cold War’ as US-China relations sink to lowest point in decades
Coronavirus pandemic creates ‘new Cold War’ as US-China relations sink to lowest point in decades
At a broader level, China is asserting its influence across a broad international front, often with a hard edge. The decision of the National People’s Congress to pass a national security law for Hong Kong has increased tensions further.
Advertisement