US-China tensions may continue after trade war, says Singapore’s finance minister
- Heng Swee Keat says rivalry between the world’s two biggest economies is ‘more complex’ than a simple trade dispute
Tensions between the US and China may linger even as both countries show signs of edging closer to an end to their trade war, according to Singapore’s Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat.
A “quick resolution” could come in addressing the trade deficit and the protection of intellectual property, said Heng, who has spent the past week in Washington speaking with US lawmakers, officials in the Trump administration, and industry experts.
“Many of the leaders and analysts I’ve spoken to have held the view that this is not just a trade dispute, this is a more complex competition in technology and strategic influence,” Heng said in an interview Wednesday in San Francisco, in the last leg of his US trip. “That means this is not something that will be resolved overnight.”
While Singapore has stayed “neutral” with both countries, according to Heng, it is caught in a potential crossfire between China, its biggest trading partner, and the US, a key ally and investor.
Senior US and Chinese officials are scheduling more face-to-face trade talks in an effort to reach a deal by early May that President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping could sign later that month, two people familiar with the plans said.
