Trump Giving Xi Someone to Blame for China's Slowing Economy

Trade war offers cover for one of Beijing’s biggest worries
‘Trump’s maximum pressure will not corner Xi,’ analyst says

Carl Tannenbaum, chief economist at Northern Trust Corp., talks about the trade dispute between the U.S. and China.(Source: Bloomberg)

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By Bloomberg News

October 23, 2018 at 10:00 AM UTC

Updated on

October 24, 2018 at 1:00 AM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

U.S. President Donald Trump sought to pressure Beijing to open its markets by undermining its economy. Instead, he may be providing Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping with the perfect cover story if things get worse.

China’s economy has shown signs of slowing in recent months, expanding in the third quarter at the weakest pace since the depths of the financial crisis in 2009. The slowdown -- predicted by the ruling Communist Party and market observers long before Trump’s rise -- has nonetheless fanned anxiety among a population that has grown accustomed to decades of breakneck growth.