China Wary after Trump’s U-Turn Could See US Rejoining TPP

Wendy Wu, Keegan Elmer
South China Morning Post
Chinese analysts have said they are wary about the possibility that the United States will rejoin the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), but shrugged off the immediate need to make policy changes.

China or the U.S.? Asian Nations' Answer: Neither

Andrew Browne
Wall Street Journal
It’s a neat narrative: America’s inevitable decline means the inexorable rise of China. But Asian countries have more to say.

The Chinese World Order

Andrew J. Nathan from New York Review of Books
Ten years ago the journalist James Mann published a book called The China Fantasy, in which he criticized American policymakers for using something he called “the Soothing Scenario” to justify the policy of diplomatic and economic engagement with...

Trump Is China’s Chump

Thomas L. Friedman
New York Times
Beijing is now quietly encouraging everyone in the neighborhood to join the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, China’s free-trade competitor to TPP.

China Doesn't Want To Be the Only World Leader, Says State Council Counselor

Akiko Fujita, Huileng Tan
CNBC
Rather than fully stepping into a global leadership vacuum that could be left by an increasingly isolationist U.S., China is looking to be but one of the world's leaders.

How Not to Lose Asia to China

Foreign Policy
This week, the foreign ministers of the 10 countries that make up the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are coming to Washington for an annual U.S.-ASEAN dialogue.

Viewpoint

03.01.17

Is the U.S.’s Withdrawal China’s Gain in Latin America?

Latin Americans can’t afford to wait four years to see when the United States will be willing to have an honest and reciprocal conversation about economic prosperity in the Western Hemisphere. Luckily for the U.S.’s southern neighbors, over the past...

Here Are Five Ways China’s New Silk Road Is Good for Western Companies

Alex Capri
Forbes
China’s One-Belt-One-Road initiative is the most ambitious infrastructure project in history. Referred to as “OBOR,” this immense network of planned highways, railways, energy grids and port facilities will create economic corridors between 65...

Viewpoint

02.02.17

The Art of a China Deal

James McGregor
By his own admission, President Donald J. Trump is a brilliant businessman, a master negotiator, an exceptional deal maker, somebody who always wins. When it comes to China, he is prepared to do just that—win. “I’ve read hundreds of books about...

Make China Great Again

David Leonhardt
New York Times
America’s rivals and enemies have enjoyed a very good 10 days.

Asia Pacific Nations Are Tilting Closer toward China as Trump Declares ‘America First’

Evelyn Cheng
CNBC
There are strong signs that countries in Asia and the Pacific region are turning away from the United States and tilting toward China as the Trump administration emphasizes “America First.”

How China Can Win as America Turns Inward

Newsweek
As the U.S. was backing away from a major international agreement, China continued its push to strike pacts with other nations.

Conversation

01.27.17

TPP is Dead, Now What?

David Dollar, Charlene Barshefsky & more
On Monday, on his first full working day as president, Donald Trump officially withdrew the United States from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a 12-nation trade pact that did not include China and did not have the votes to...

As Trump Stresses ‘America First,’ China Plays the World Leader

Ben Blanchard
Reuters
China is calmly mapping out global leadership aspirations from trade to climate change, drawing distinctions between President Xi Jinping’s steady hand and new U.S. President Donald Trump

China Can Thrive in the Trump Era

Yan Xuetong
New York Times
China has a chance to become a full-fledged superpower if it responds to the Trump presidency by opening up more to the world economically and politically.

Ambassador to China Shares Lessons Learned with the Next Administration

NPR
Democrat Max Baucus, the U.S. ambassador to China since 2014, is preparing to hand over the post to his successor. He discusses the future of the U.S.-China relationship.

China’s New Silk Road Is Getting Muddy

Joshua Eisenman and Devin T. Stewart
Foreign Policy
With the future of U.S.-China relations an open question for the incoming Donald Trump administration, many have focused on whether the president-elect’s promise to withdraw from negotiations over the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) will enhance...

China Touts its Own Trade Pact as U.S.-Backed One Withers

John Lyons, Mark Magnier, and William...
Wall Street Journal
Nations begin to coalesce around China-led trade group after Trump reiterates plan to withdraw from TPP

As Trump Tweets about SNL and Hamilton, China’s Xi Embraces a New, Powerful Role

Zheping Huang and Heather Timmons
Quartz
Trump’s talk of increasing trade barriers and disdain for global organizations and agreements could create a more isolationist US, leaving China to fill the gap

A Retreat from TPP Would Empower China

Editorial Board
New York Times
China will take full advantage of the American shift to press its own trade vision--the Beijing-backed Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership

Trans-Pacific Partnership Failure May be China’s Gain, Asia’s Loss

Laura He
South China Morning Post
Many Asian economies will benefit less under a China-led trade pact than they would have done under the now-doomed TPP, analysts argue

Caixin Media

11.18.16

Is the Trump Victory a Blow to Globalization?

The 2016 U.S. presidential election ended with the surprise victory of property mogul Donald J. Trump. An outsider without a political track record, Trump defied predictions by most polls, pundits, and political observers when he defeated Hillary...

China Pushes Asia-Pacific Trade Deals as Trump Win Dashes TPP Hopes

Michael Martina
Reuters
China will seek support for a Beijing-led Asia-Pacific free trade area at a regional summit in Peru later this month, after Donald Trump's U.S. election win dashed hopes for a U.S.-led free trade pact.

In China and Around Asia, Disbelief that Trump Means What He Says on Trade

Simon Denyer and Anna Fifield
Washington Post
China has largely dismissed Trump’s talk of new trade tariffs as election rhetoric

Beijing Reacts Cautiously to Trump Triumph

Tom Mitchell
Financial Times
President-elect has threatened China with trade and currency wars

TPP’s Failure Would Hand U.S. Business in Japan to China, White House Says

William Mauldin
Wall Street Journal
Exporters could miss gains from Pacific trade deal, lose market share, according to study

Abandoning TPP Free-Trade Deal Would Give China Free Pass: Chamber of Commerce

Matthew Belvedere
CNBC
If America backs out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, free trade allies in the region may turn to China.

China and U.S. Say They’ve Made Strides in Trade Talks

Neil Gough
New York Times
The United States and China said that they had made progress on sticking points in trade.

Obama Calls on Beijing to Stop Construction in South China Sea

MICHAEL D. SHEAR
New York Times
President Obama addressed the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit meeting in Manila, where he discussed China, trade and climate change.

China’s AIIB and OBOR: Ambitions and Challenges

Zhiqun Zhu
Diplomat
The two ambitious projects have become an integral part of Chinese diplomacy.

Why China Doesn’t Mind Being Left Out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership

Allison Jackson
Global Post
In case you hadn’t heard, the Trans-Pacific Partnership is a really big deal— unless you're China.

China and Europe May Team Up to Snub TPP

Nyshka Chandran
CNBC
The world's largest trade deal in recent decades may wind up creating high school-esque cliques on the international stage.

What Does China Think of the TPP?

Shannon Tiezzi
Diplomat
China is taking a wait-and-see approach on the U.S.-led trade deal.

Conversation

10.06.15

What Will the TPP Mean for China?

Barry Naughton, Arthur R. Kroeber & more
On Monday, the U.S., Japan, and ten other countries concluded negotiations on the Trans-Pacific Partnership, or TPP—the largest regional trade accord in history. If approved, the agreement will set new terms for the nearly $28 trillion in trade and...

U.S. Allies See Trans-Pacific Partnership as a Check on China

Jane Perlez
New York Times
The Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal was welcomed as a win for the United States in its contest with China for clout in Asia.

Japan's Abe Says TPP Would Have Strategic Significance If China Joined

Linda Sieg and Kaori Kaneko
Reuters
"It would contribute largely to our nation's security and Asia-Pacific regional stability, if China joined the system in the future."

Trans-Pacific Trade Deal a Setback for China

Mark Magnier and Mitsuru Obe
Wall Street Journal
TPP marks a victory for Japan and other U.S. allies in the battle with China over shaping the future of global commerce.

Media

05.20.15

China Liked TPP—Until U.S. Officials Opened Their Mouths

After a brief but frightening setback for proponents, U.S. congressional leaders looked set on May 13 to pass legislation for an eventual up-or-down (“fast-track”) vote on what would be one of the world’s largest trade accords, the U.S.-led Trans-...

The U.S.-China Disconnect on Trade Deals

Bob Davis
Wall Street Journal
Obama cautions on Beijing’s rise as he pushes TPP at home; a look at key differences in how the U.S. and China approach trade expansion.

Features

04.28.15

Where Do We Draw the Line on Balancing China?

from Foreign Policy
Is it time for the United States to get serious about balancing China? According to Robert Blackwill and Ashley Tellis, the answer is an emphatic yes. In a new Council on Foreign Relations report, they portray China as steadily seeking to increase...

The Trans-Pacific Partnership Can Help the U.S. Counter China’s Expansion

The Washington Post Editorial Board
Washington Post
We’ve faulted President Obama for his less-than-full-throated support of free-trade agreements that enjoy the nominal backing of his administration. There was no such cause for complaint about his State of the Union address Tuesday night, however,...

Obama Faces Headwinds on Trans-Pacific Partnership in East Asia trip

Kristine Kwok
South China Morning Post
Negotiations with Japan on a 12-nation transpacific trade liberalisation deal are bogged down, while support for it is waning in Malaysia, which could pull out altogether under pressure from business concerns. Analysts say the negotiations...

Conversation

12.03.13

What Posture Should Joe Biden Adopt Toward A Newly Muscular China?

Susan Shirk
Susan Shirk:United States Vice President Joseph Biden is the American political figure who has spent the most time with Xi Jinping and has the deepest understanding of Xi as an individual. Before Xi’s selection as P.R.C. president and C.C.P. general...

Reports

10.25.11

The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Meetings in Honolulu: A Preview

Michael F. Martin
Peony Lui
Congressional Research Service
The United States will host the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation’s (APEC’s) 19th Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Honolulu, HI, on November 12 & 13, 2011. APEC was founded in 1989 to facilitate trade and investment liberalization in the Asia-...

Reports

04.15.10

East Asian Regional Architecture: New Economic and Security Arrangements and U.S. Policy

Dick K. Nanto
Peony Lui
Congressional Research Service
The global financial crisis, the end of the Cold War, the rise of China, globalization, free trade agreements, the war on terror, and an institutional approach to keeping the peace are causing dramatic shifts in relationships among countries in East...