Karishma Vaswani, Columnist

US-China Deal Is a Lesson for the Global South

Business, not values, are all that interest Washington.

May 18, 2025 at 8:00 PM UTC

Karishma Vaswani is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering Asia politics with a special focus on China. Previously, she was the BBC's lead Asia presenter and worked for the BBC across Asia and South Asia for two decades.

Autocrats have little to fear.
Photographer: Win McNamee/Getty Images

Provide news feedback or report an error

Site feedback:

Take our Survey

The US-China temporary trade agreement is a blunt reminder: Washington’s foreign policy under President Donald Trump is transactional. Deals matter, values don’t.

This lesson is crucial for the Global South. Economic leverage secures a seat at the table, not democratic credentials.