Battles lines drawn between the world's two largest economies
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Background and explainers on the trade war between China, led by President Xi Jinping, and the United States, and its President Donald Trump. Having started in July 2018, the prolonged conflict reached a turning point in January 2020 with the signing of the phase one trade deal, but not after it had weighed heavily on the global economy for 18 months due to additional import tariffs levied by both China and the US. The US has accused China of unfair trading practices, including intellectual property theft, forced technology transfer, lack of market access for American companies in China and creating an unlevel playing field through state subsidies of Chinese companies. China, meanwhile, believes the US is trying to restrict its rise as a global economic power....more
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Given China’s history of ignoring bilateral agreements, how can the EU’s modest and incremental investment agreement hope to hold China to account? A collective approach, rooted in effective transatlantic cooperation, would at least have a chance.
In contrast to Trump administration policies that deterred international students, Biden’s statements and initial actions in office have been supportive of higher education and welcoming towards STEM graduates.
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Multilateralism and international cooperation have faded as vehicles for global action in the public interest in recent years. It is time to encourage effective multilateralism as a vital tool in meeting our many global challenges.
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