Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
In the Balkans, just outside the EU, China is enjoying a different experience. Serbia claims to have become one of China’s best friends in Europe.
Trump is fixated on the United States’ bilateral trade deficit with China, but the United States–China impasse comes from much deeper differences in perceptions.
As Washington waits to see what Beijing has to offer and Beijing waits to see what Washington wants, a prolonged stalemate is a more likely outcome.
Chinese sources are consistent in their criticism of a fundamental shift in Washington’s policy and rhetoric on China toward greater hostility. However, both authoritative and non-authoritative also point out the need for restraint, dialogue, and cooperation in handling U.S.-China relations.
Portugal has found a way to grant China a fast-track lane toward Europe with a little shiny gold, as it now occupies a central role in China’s European geoeconomic strategy.
November 11, known in China as Singles’ Day, started out as a wry, tongue-in-cheek holiday. It has since become a major draw for online shopping, a profoundly Chinese celebration, and an expression of the country’s modern urban youth. But the rampant commercialization of Singles’ Day may one day come to be seen as a symbol of the era of China’s bubble economy.
U.S. policy has been, with respect to China, forming a bipartisan consensus in recent years. For Trump to think that a quick deal on trade problems was solved doesn’t seem consistent with the rest of the things his administration says.
The Taiwan Strait is not at immediate risk of a crisis, but a changing status quo and diminishing trust between Beijing, Taipei, and Washington signal possible trouble ahead.
Chinese state-owned companies are using their financial leverage to build strongholds in Portugal, Greece and Italy. Many of the targeted countries are becoming soft supporters of China on the international stage.
China’s nuclear ballistic missile submarine program is making rapid progress and is on the verge of providing Beijing with a credible sea-based deterrent. Its implications could be far reaching.