bodyType

customContents

entityId

printArticlePageQuery

filter

article

body

urlAlias

articleSectionsContent

articleSeoArticle

articleSourceHeaderArticle

contentSchemaRenderContent

contentSubHeadlineContent

contentHeadlineContent

mainImagePrintArticleArticle

authorBlockPrintArticleArticle

contentSponsorTagContent

articlePianoPaywallContent

scmpYoutubeContent

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

query printArticlePageQuery(
  $entityId: String!
  $customContents: [CustomContentInput]
  $bodyType: BodyFormatTypeEnum
) {
  article(filter: {entityId: $entityId}) {
    entityId
    body(customContents: $customContents, type: $bodyType) {
      json
    }
    urlAlias
    ...articleSectionsContent
    ...articleSeoArticle_3o8td4
    ...articleSourceHeaderArticle
    ...contentSchemaRenderContent
    ...contentSubHeadlineContent
    ...contentHeadlineContent
    ...mainImagePrintArticleArticle
    ...authorBlockPrintArticleArticle
    ...contentSponsorTagContent
    ...articlePianoPaywallContent
    ...scmpYoutubeContent
    ...hooksTrackPageViewArticle
    id
  }
}

fragment articlePianoPaywallContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...hooksPaywallPromiseContent
}

fragment articleSectionsContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  sectionsV2 {
    value {
      __typename
      ... on Section {
        name
        published
      }
      ... on VideoSection {
        name
        published
      }
      ...helpersCheckIfNewsSectionInFirstIndexSection
      ...entityLink
      ... on Node {
        __isNode: __typename
        id
      }
    }
  }
}

fragment articleSeoArticle_3o8td4 on Article {
  ...hooksArticleSeoArticle
  ...helpersGetArticleTypeArticle
  entityId
  publishedDate
  updatedDate
  summary {
    text
  }
  subHeadline {
    text
  }
  body(customContents: $customContents, type: $bodyType) {
    text
  }
  keywords
  sectionsV2 {
    value {
      __typename
      ... on Section {
        name
      }
      ... on Node {
        __isNode: __typename
        id
      }
    }
  }
  topics {
    name
    entityId
    id
  }
  urlAlias
  authors {
    name
    id
  }
  images {
    style(filter: {style: "768x768"}) {
      url
    }
  }
  readingTime
}

fragment articleSourceHeaderArticle on Article {
  urlAlias
  ...entityLink
}

fragment authorBlockPrintArticleArticle on Article {
  ...defaultArticleDateContent
  ...authorNamesArticle
}

fragment authorNameAuthor on Author {
  ...entityLink
  name
  entityUuid
}

fragment authorNamesArticle on Article {
  authorLocations
  authors {
    entityId
    location
    ...authorNameAuthor
    id
  }
}

fragment blockquoteQuoteContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...contentShareWidgetContent
}

fragment checkersCheckContentContainsStarlingImageContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  topics {
    entityId
    id
  }
}

fragment contentHeadlineContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  headline
  socialHeadline
  ...contentHeadlineTagContent
  ...helpersUseContentSponsorContent
}

fragment contentHeadlineTagContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...hooksContentHeadlineTagContent
}

fragment contentNewsletterWidgetContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  topics {
    relatedNewsletters {
      ...helpersMassageToNewsletterItemNewsletter
      id
    }
    id
  }
  sectionsV2 {
    value {
      __typename
      ... on Section {
        relatedNewsletters {
          ...helpersMassageToNewsletterItemNewsletter
          id
        }
      }
      ... on Node {
        __isNode: __typename
        id
      }
    }
  }
  ... on Article {
    relatedNewsletters {
      ...helpersMassageToNewsletterItemNewsletter
      id
    }
  }
}

fragment contentSchemaRenderContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...blockquoteQuoteContent
  ...hooksInlinePlusWidgetContent
  ...imageContent
  ...inlineWidgetContent
  ...photoGalleryWidgetContent
  ...scmpYoutubeContent
}

fragment contentShareWidgetContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  __typename
  entityId
  urlAlias
  shortUrl
  socialHeadline
  headline
  ... on Video {
    youtubeId
  }
}

fragment contentSponsorTagContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...helpersUseContentSponsorContent
}

fragment contentSubHeadlineContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  subHeadline {
    json
  }
  summary {
    json
  }
  ...contentSchemaRenderContent
}

fragment defaultArticleDateContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...hooksArticleDateUtilsContent
}

fragment entityLink on BaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias {
  __isBaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias: __typename
  __typename
  entityId
  entityUuid
  urlAlias
  urlRedirect {
    toUrl
    id
  }
  application {
    entityId
    id
  }
  ... on Section {
    fullSectionPath {
      entityId
      id
    }
    parentSection
  }
  ...helpersAppBarVariantBase
  ...helpersApplicationBase
  ...helpersCheckIsPlusArticle
  ...helpersStyleSectionContent
}

fragment helpersAppBarVariantBase on BaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias {
  __isBaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias: __typename
  ...helpersCheckIsLiveArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsPlusPage
  ...helpersCheckIsPostMagazineArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsStyleArticle
  ...helpersSectionContent
  ...helpersStyleSectionContent
}

fragment helpersApplicationBase on BaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias {
  __isBaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias: __typename
  ...helpersCheckIsPlusPage
}

fragment helpersCheckIfNewsSectionInFirstIndexSection on SectionUnion {
  __isSectionUnion: __typename
  ... on Section {
    name
  }
  ... on VideoSection {
    name
  }
}

fragment helpersCheckIsAmpEnabledArticle on Article {
  entityId
  types {
    value {
      entityId
      id
    }
  }
  sectionsV2 {
    value {
      __typename
      ... on Section {
        entityId
      }
      ... on Node {
        __isNode: __typename
        id
      }
    }
  }
  disableOffPlatformContent
  sponsorType
  published
  ...helpersCheckIsPlusArticle
}

fragment helpersCheckIsLiveArticle on Article {
  flattenTypeIds
  liveArticle {
    status
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersCheckIsMainTopicContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  topics {
    entityId
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersCheckIsPlusArticle on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ... on Article {
    paywallTypes {
      entityUuid
      id
    }
  }
}

fragment helpersCheckIsPlusPage on Page {
  urlAlias
}

fragment helpersCheckIsPostMagazineArticle on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  sectionsV2 {
    value {
      __typename
      ... on Section {
        entityId
      }
      ... on Node {
        __isNode: __typename
        id
      }
    }
  }
}

fragment helpersCheckIsStyleArticle on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  sectionsV2 {
    value {
      __typename
      ... on Section {
        entityId
      }
      ... on VideoSection {
        entityId
      }
      ... on Node {
        __isNode: __typename
        id
      }
    }
  }
}

fragment helpersGetArticleTypeArticle on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ... on Article {
    types {
      value {
        entityId
        id
      }
    }
  }
}

fragment helpersMassageToNewsletterItemNewsletter on Newsletter {
  entityId
  name
  alternativeName
  description {
    text
  }
  summary {
    text
  }
  homepageDescription {
    text
  }
}

fragment helpersSanitizeArticleTypeEntityIdsArticle on Article {
  types {
    value {
      entityId
      id
    }
  }
}

fragment helpersSanitizeAuthorTypesArticle on Article {
  authors {
    types
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersSanitizedAuthorEntityIdsArticle on Article {
  authors {
    entityId
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersSectionContent on Section {
  fullSectionPath {
    entityId
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersStyleSectionContent on Section {
  fullSectionPath {
    entityId
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersUseContentSponsorContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  topics {
    entityId
    sponsor {
      ...sponsorTagSponsor
      name
      type
      id
    }
    id
  }
  ... on Article {
    sponsorType
  }
  ...helpersCheckIsMainTopicContent
}

fragment hooksArticleDateUtilsContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  createdDate
  publishedDate
  updatedDate
}

fragment hooksArticleSeoArticle on Article {
  ...helpersCheckIsPostMagazineArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsStyleArticle
  ...hooksContentHeadlineTagContent
  ...helpersCheckIsAmpEnabledArticle
  entityId
  headline
  socialHeadline
  types {
    value {
      entityId
      id
    }
  }
  authors {
    entityId
    id
  }
  images {
    generic_og: style(filter: {style: "og_image_scmp_generic"}) {
      url
    }
    styles(filter: {styles: ["og_postmag", "og_image_style", "og_image_scmp_analysis", "og_image_scmp_explainer", "og_image_scmp_editorial", "og_image_scmp_fact_check", "og_image_scmp_debate", "og_image_scmp_live", "og_image_scmp_obituary", "og_image_scmp_opinion", "og_image_scmp_review", "og_image_scmp_series", "og_image_scmp_generic"]}) {
      url
      style
    }
    type
  }
  urlAlias
}

fragment hooksContentHeadlineTagContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  __typename
  ... on Article {
    types {
      value {
        name
        entityId
        description {
          text
        }
        id
      }
    }
    ...helpersCheckIsStyleArticle
  }
  flag
  sectionsV2 {
    value {
      __typename
      ... on Section {
        name
      }
      ... on VideoSection {
        name
      }
      ... on Node {
        __isNode: __typename
        id
      }
    }
  }
  ...hooksContentHelperContent
}

fragment hooksContentHelperContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...helpersSanitizeArticleTypeEntityIdsArticle
  ...helpersSanitizeAuthorTypesArticle
  ...helpersSanitizedAuthorEntityIdsArticle
  flag
}

fragment hooksInlinePlusWidgetContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  topics {
    entityId
    id
  }
}

fragment hooksPaywallPromiseContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  entityId
}

fragment hooksTrackPageViewArticle on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  entityId
  publishedDate
  headline
  sectionsV2 {
    value {
      __typename
      ... on Section {
        name
      }
      ... on Node {
        __isNode: __typename
        id
      }
    }
  }
  urlAlias
  authors {
    name
    id
  }
  entityUuid
}

fragment imageContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  headline
  ...checkersCheckContentContainsStarlingImageContent
}

fragment inlineWidgetContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...contentNewsletterWidgetContent
}

fragment mainImagePrintArticleArticle on Article {
  images {
    title
    url
    isSlideshow
    size_652x446: style(filter: {style: "652x446"}) {
      url
    }
  }
}

fragment photoGalleryDialogContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  __typename
  ...contentShareWidgetContent
}

fragment photoGalleryWidgetContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...photoGalleryDialogContent
}

fragment scmpYoutubeContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  entityId
  urlAlias
  publishedDate
}

fragment sponsorTagSponsor on Sponsor {
  name
  type
  images {
    url
  }
}


types

sectionsV2

disableOffPlatformContent

sponsorType

published

headline

socialHeadline

authors

images

publishedDate

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

keywords

topics

readingTime

authorLocations

Robert Delaney

Global Impact is a weekly curated newsletter featuring a news topic originating in China with a significant macro impact for our newsreaders around the world. Sign up now!
We’re coming up on six years since former US president Donald Trump started a trade war with China and marked the beginning of a new, more contentious approach by Washington towards Beijing to address perceived threats to American economic interests and national security.
While the punitive tariffs seemed to do very little initially, countless investigations, congressional hearings, and dire warnings about China by policymakers in both of the major political parties appear to have moved the needle back after decades of growth in the bilateral economic relationship.
For the first time in 17 years, China was dethroned as the United States’ top source of imports last year, with Mexico outpacing in terms of the total value of goods shipped.
Still, total US imports from China last year reached US$427.2 billion, slightly ahead of the US$421.1 billion from Canada, showing how much of a challenge it would be for those advocating for a much more significant break in economic ties.


Many ordinary Americans might have a very low opinion about China – a recent poll showed that nearly three in five considered the country’s rise a critical threat to US interests, but the details surrounding trade and investment tend to fly under the radar of public opinion.
All that changed when the US government put the popular video-sharing app TikTok, owned by China’s ByteDance, in its cross hairs several years ago. That action turned the debate over restrictions against Chinese products into a national conversation.
When Trump issued his executive order on concerns that the app could send sensitive data about Americans to China’s government, eventually undone by successor Joe Biden shortly after he entered the White House, the US user base was around 100 million.
Several years and multiple congressional hearings later – after Trump tried unsuccessfully to force ByteDance to sell the property – it now has around 170 million American users.
As lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have raised increasingly urgent alarms about the extent to which TikTok could be a national security vulnerability, the House of Representatives passed a bill that would force ByteDance to divest the app.
US-China all-out trade war unlikely but soft-power gap will persist: Joseph Nye
A combination of diehard users, free-speech advocates and libertarian-leaning politicians have spoken out against the effort to ban the app or force a divestiture.
And in a bizarre twist, even Trump – the presumptive Republican nominee in this year’s presidential election – backed away from his position, which stirred up speculation that a billionaire Republican megadonor with connections to ByteDance was behind that change of heart.
TikTok aside, the scope of restrictions threatening to further decouple the US and China seems to widen each week as the Biden administration insists on trying to “responsibly manage competition”.
In February, Biden and the US Coast Guard announced a series of actions to keep China’s presence in the country’s port infrastructure in check. Just days later, the US Department of Commerce opened an investigation into whether Chinese vehicle imports posed a national security risk and could impose restrictions due to concerns about “connected” car technology.
China’s top envoy slammed the moves as irrational anxiety that would lead to “a never-ending cycle” of action against the country.


Those remarks, which came before a recent series of high-level bilateral engagements, including a phone call between Xi Jinping and Biden and a visit to China by US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, highlight the ever-changing nature of the relationship, which included a face-to-face summit between the two leaders in November that yielded pledges to get communication back on track.
However, the overall consensus says that little has changed in terms of the factors that have led to the restrictions, according to analysts including Dominic Chiu of Eurasia Group and Lu Xiang, a senior researcher with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
“The real issues revolve around the small-yard, high-fence strategy of the US and its worries regarding overcapacity, and we don’t exclude the possibility that the Biden administration will implement other restrictive measures,” Lu said following Yellen’s meetings in China at the start of April.
And Biden faces increasing pressure from other policymakers in Washington, including former deputy national security adviser Matthew Pottinger, who has insisted that the White House shift to a more explicit Cold War stance.
Congress is also moving to bolster restrictions.
As Washington cracks down on Chinese businesses, lobbyists come under fire
Curbs that the Biden administration has put on exports of the most cutting-edge semiconductor chips to China, and on US investments into Chinese companies developing some of the most advanced technologies, are not enough for many lawmakers.
A House subcommittee hearing in January explored additional ideas for legislation to block US money from bolstering China’s technological and military sectors.
Last week, Republican Senator Mitt Romney and his colleague, Maggie Hassan, a Democrat, introduced a bill that would create a centre to coordinate efforts to stop the shipment of US semiconductors, artificial intelligence and quantum technology to countries including China.
Meanwhile, the billions of dollars of Chinese venture capital that had flowed into US start-ups – often through investors connected to the country’s government – has come to a near-total stop.
The possibility of a second Trump presidency is unlikely to ease the friction. While he has softened on TikTok, the presumptive Republican nominee has threatened tariffs of 60 per cent or more on Chinese products headed for the US market, if he wins in November.
60-Second Catch-up
US policy on China must pivot to cold-war stance from managing competition, two Republican policymakers say.
US House overwhelmingly passes bill to force ByteDance to divest TikTok.
Video: Protests at US Congress after House passes bill that could potentially ban TikTok nationwide.
US House panel on China tackles human rights, TikTok and fentanyl in first hearing aimed at prime-time audience.
Opinion: TikTok is just a bogeyman for America’s sorry lack of digital governance.
Call between Xi Jinping and Joe Biden conveys stability, deep disconnect in US-China ties: analysts.
Video: Singaporeans fume over US lawmaker grilling of TikTok CEO.
Top Beijing envoy to US criticises Biden’s moves targeting Chinese products over national security.
US House vote on TikTok ban suggests broader prism than just pro- or anti-China.
Opinion: Will the US really ban TikTok? Watch what Donald Trump is saying.
Deep dives

US-China all-out trade war unlikely but soft-power gap will persist: Joseph Nye

Global affairs expert Joseph Nye shares his assessments of what China has done right, and what will hold it back


In terms of economic challenges, ‘we should not exaggerate the China threat’, Nye says

For the Open Questionsseries of interviews with global opinion leaders, Josephine Ma speaks with Joseph Nye, a former US assistant secretary of defence. Nye is university distinguished service professor, emeritus and former dean of Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, and has been ranked among the top 100 global thinkers. Read the previous instalment in the series, with political scientist Li Cheng, here.
You are most well known in China for your book on soft power and even former Chinese president Hu Jintao mentioned it in the 17th party congress report. China has invested heavily in expanding its soft power and President Xi Jinping has told officials to “tell the China story well”. How do you comment on these efforts? What are the achievements and what are the failures, and why?
Read more.

As Washington cracks down on Chinese businesses, lobbyists come under fire

Concerns about Beijing’s potential to threaten US national security have spurred several bills seeking more scrutiny about who is representing Chinese interests


Weeks after one list of Chinese companies and their lobbyists circulates on Capitol Hill, several firms drop their clients, including DJI and Hesai Tech

In early February, a list made the rounds among Capitol Hill staffers. It named several Chinese companies and their Washington lobbyists, as well as the federal “entity lists” – which prohibit those entities from doing business in the US – that included those companies.
Titled “Buying Influence in Washington: The Top Firms Lobbying for China”, the list – it was unclear who had compiled it – highlights some big players in the Washington lobbying scene. These included the Vogel Group and Avoq, retained by Chinese drone maker DJI; Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld and Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, retained by lidar maker Hesai Tech; and Steptoe & Johnson, retained by biotech firm BGI Group.
Read more.

How far did Janet Yellen’s trip move the ball for US-China relations?

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the US had been able to ‘move the ball’ on key issues during her week-long trip to China


Analysts said the trip focused on ‘practical short-term’ matters, including overcapacity concerns, money laundering and the mistreatment of US companies in China

The week-long trip to China by US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen sidestepped core economic disputes, and without headway, analysts said the pressure of November’s presidential election could force the Biden administration “to be more aggressive” on the trade front.
Yellen ended her second trip to China in 10 months on Tuesday, having met Chinese officials and American business representatives in Guangzhou and Beijing over the past week, with the pressing issue of overcapacity having featured high on the agenda.
Read more.

‘America is rising’: Biden uses State of the Union to push contest with China

Annual presidential address has Biden appearing vibrant and confident about US, including its partnerships and alliances in the Pacific


Although Biden administration ‘tried to take the temperature down’ on China, the Beijing challenge allowed him to talk about his domestic agenda, says analyst

“We want competition with China, but not conflict,” declared an energetic 81-year-old Joe Biden on Thursday during his last State of the Union address as US president before the country goes to the polls in November.
“We’re in a stronger position to win the competition for the 21st century against China, or anyone else for that matter,” he said, presenting a passionate case for a second term in the White House.
Read more.

Why is Trump now defending TikTok in the US after trying to ban it?

Ex-president’s U-turn coincides with recent meeting held with billionaire Republican megadonor who is deeply invested in parent company ByteDance


About-face could hurt presumptive 2024 Republican presidential nominee who has long touted his toughness on China, analysts say

Former US president Donald Trump has markedly changed his tune on TikTok, the popular short-video app that he once sought to ban over concerns about its Chinese ownership.
Throughout his term in the White House and in the run-up to the 2024 US presidential election, the presumptive Republican nominee with a reputation for mercurial moves has repeatedly touted his toughness on Beijing, citing trade tariffs he pushed the US to impose on China that remain in place.
Read more.

China’s 17-year run as top source of US imports ends as Mexico rises

World’s second-largest economy also saw its share of American imports decline to 13.9 per cent in 2023, its lowest level in 20 years


Total value of goods shipped from China to US fell by 20.3 per cent last year compared to 2022, as Mexico’s grew by 4.6 per cent

For the first time in 17 years, China was dethroned as the United States’ top source of imports, offering fresh evidence that Washington’s tariffs and supply-chain diversification efforts are bearing fruit.
Mexico outpaced China in 2023 in terms of total value of goods shipped to the US, according to data from the US Census Bureau released on Wednesday.
Read more.
Global Impact is a weekly curated newsletter featuring a news topic originating in China with a significant macro impact for our newsreaders around the world.
Sign up now!


Chinese-owned social media platform TikTok is facing a ban in the US as China hits back at ‘never-ending cycle’

In this week’s issue of the Global Impact newsletter, we look to keep up with the complex and ever-evolving US-China relationship, with a particular focus on Washington’s moves to ban video-sharing app TikTok. Photo: AP

TikTok CEO Chew Shou Zi testifies before the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Photo: TNS

Illustration: Victor Sanjinez

Illustration: Davies Christian Surya

Photo: Reuters

Photo: AFP

Photo: Bloomberg

Economy

Global Economy

News

China

World

United States & Canada

Global Impact is a weekly curated newsletter featuring a news topic originating in China with a significant macro impact for our newsreaders around the world
In this week’s issue, we look to keep up with the complex and ever-evolving US-China relationship, with a particular focus on Washington’s moves to ban video-sharing app TikTok


In this week’s issue of the Global Impact newsletter, we look to keep up with the complex and ever-evolving US-China relationship, with a particular focus on Washington’s moves to ban video-sharing app TikTok.


US-China relations

TikTok

TikTok ban

Global Impact

.css-1f6sr3w{color:#727272;}Global Impact | Chinese-owned social media platform TikTok is facing a ban in the US as China hits back at ‘never-ending cycle’

Global Impact | Chinese-owned social media platform TikTok is facing a ban in the US as China hits back at ‘never-ending cycle’