Don’t Let National Security Derail US-China Trade Talks
Washington’s major geopolitical disagreements with Beijing — over Taiwan, cyber and the South China Sea — can be put on a separate and slower track.
This can wait for now.
Photographer: Jam Sta Rosa/AFP/Getty Images
President Donald Trump’s administration has announced, to some skepticism, initial progress on a trade deal with China. While it’s true that most of the details must be worked out, it seems that cooler heads are prevailing for now, and the world’s two largest economies are avoiding a mutually disastrous decoupling.
But looming over these negotiations are three significant geopolitical disputes between the US and China that could make reaching a lasting deal and maintaining economic stability difficult. They are the status of Taiwan; ongoing cyberattacks by both sides; and Chinese territorial claims over the South China Sea.