Tag: Regulation/Government Policy

President Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping have walked back from the ledge—again. But even as the world’s two superpowers deescalate a trade fight that had threatened to destabilize the global economy, a new reality is setting in—that Washington may finally have to give up on its long-standing aim of pushing Beijing to restructure its economy.

For years and through successive U.S. administrations, senior officials in Washington had hoped that bringing China into the global trading system would open up the country’s political system. In the decades since China’s accession to the World Trade Organization in 2001, those hopes of political liberalization have largely been dashed. The sense of disappointment has only grown as Chinese leader Xi Jinping, who took power in late 2012, has tightened his control over the domestic political system and civil society more broadly.

President Trump is trying to publicly de-escalate tensions with China to soothe markets while privately keeping up pressure on Beijing—a difficult balancing act that is being closely watched by Wall Street.

After threatening additional 100% tariffs on Chinese imports starting Nov. 1, Trump in recent days spoke with senior officials, including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, about sending a message to the world that the U.S. wants to de-escalate trade tensions with China, according to people familiar with the matter.