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US-China trade war
This Week in AsiaPolitics

Doubts over phase one trade deal as US-China ties ‘still in deep trouble’

  • Jia Qingguo of Peking University told a forum in Singapore that bilateral ties are in ‘bad shape’ as the US seeks to contain China
  • Tension in the South China Sea has also increased the possibility of military clashes and even a second cold war

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Jia Qingguo, professor of international studies at Peking University and one of Beijing’s top foreign policy experts. Photo: SCMP
Dewey Simin Beijing
The “phase one” trade deal between China and the United States is unlikely to lead to a broader pact because “excessive” demands by Washington have left Chinese officials feeling it is “useless” to engage.

That is the view of Jia Qingguo, one of Beijing’s top foreign policy experts and a professor of international studies at Peking University.

“Despite the recent announcement that we are going to have the first phase agreement, [the] relationship between China and the US is still in deep trouble and is heading south rather than north. It is getting worse,” Jia told the Regional Outlook Forum 2020 hosted by the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore on Thursday.
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The Regional Outlook Forum 2020 panel on US-China relations, comprising (L-R) Professor David Shambaugh, Professor Joseph Liow, Professor Francois Godemont, and Professor Jia Qingguo. Photo: ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute
The Regional Outlook Forum 2020 panel on US-China relations, comprising (L-R) Professor David Shambaugh, Professor Joseph Liow, Professor Francois Godemont, and Professor Jia Qingguo. Photo: ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute
His comments came as plans were announced for a Chinese trade delegation, led by Vice-Premier Liu He, to travel to Washington on January 13 for the signing of an interim deal in the costly trade war between the world’s two largest economies.
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The visit has boosted optimism about a truce, even though the dates were only confirmed after long back-and-forth discussions that reflected substantial differences in how Beijing and Washington viewed the deal.

Jia, who was a panellist for a dialogue on US-China relations, highlighted several areas of tension which have resulted in bilateral ties being “in bad shape”.
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