"Trump and his advisers seem to believe that punitive policies will slow China's advance," from banning TikTok and WeChat to onshoring tech companies to the United States, but Jonathan Pollack argues that "the administration has given minimal consideration to the implications of an adversarial relationship with Beijing."
David Dollar writes that "there is unlikely to be a quick 'V-shaped' recovery back to the old growth path," and "China can turn all of these factors to its advantage, but it will take an acceleration of reform to do so."
From human rights to energy to trade and beyond, how is China approaching global norms and norm development? In the newest installment of the Global China project, Brookings experts and outside authors examine how China's increasing involvement in international institutions is impacting the world.
Why is the Trump administration bringing back "Communist China?" In a longform interview with US-China Perception Monitor, Jonathan Pollack analyzes the current domestic political environment in the United States and how China may factor into the 2020 presidential campaign.
How China is using COVID-19 in its information diplomacy in Southeast Asia. "Many Southeast Asian countries have preferred to remain on the receiving end of Chinese assistance rather than Chinese vitriol" amid the COVID-19 pandemic, says Audrye Wong. That is likely "to only further incentivize these countries to err on China's good side."
Taiwan's unlikely path to public trust provides lessons for the U.S. In the latest installment of the Taiwan-U.S. Quarterly Analysis series, Rorry Daniels writes that Taiwan laid the groundwork for an effective disaster response well in advance of the COVID-19 pandemic, and Taipei is now reaping the rewards of on the international stage.
Is decoupling possible?David Dollar joins Lester Munson and the Fault Lines podcast to discuss the future of U.S.-China trade.
In the news
Xi faces a delicate moment at the U.N. amid U.S.-China tensions. The United States and China are now "locked on a collision course that could potentially result in dangerous military conflict," said Cheng Li in the Associated Press. One of Xi's immediate goals will be to "showcase how China has stepped up to the plate to call for multilateralism and address global concerns — from economic reopening and pandemic relief to climate change and international peace-keeping — while the United States has increasingly left a gaping void in global leadership."
Why did the U.S. ambassador to China just resign? Branstad never got the influence he sought, according to Susan Thornton. To be effective as the ambassador to China, "you need to be able to pick up the phone and get someone on the other end [back home] who will listen...Terry Branstad embraced the job and did it well, but this White House only transmits; listening is out." As far as timing goes, "his departure from Beijing follows a pattern of political appointees vacating posts ahead of the end of presidential terms," Ryan Hass added.
Is the trade war over? "The trade war is fizzling out and the tech war is heating up," David Dollar told Axios. "There are more legitimate areas of concern as China's tech capability grows and I think there's more awareness on the part of the United States."
About the China Center
The John L. Thornton China Centerdevelops timely, independent analysis and policy recommendations to help U.S. and Chinese leaders address key long-term challenges, both in terms of U.S.-China relations and China's internal development.
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