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First Post
04-07-2025
- Business
- First Post
Clock ticking on possible Xi-Trump meeting, warns top China adviser; who's delaying it?
A leading Chinese foreign policy adviser has urged the US and China to accelerate talks for a potential Xi-Trump summit this fall. While diplomatic signals are improving, logistical delays and limited engagement outside trade circles are stalling progress. Experts warn the window for dialogue is rapidly closing. read more A prominent Chinese foreign policy adviser has warned that time is running out for the United States and China to organise a long-anticipated summit between former President Donald Trump and President Xi Jinping, signalling that the window to reset bilateral ties may soon close unless preparations accelerate. 'If this summit is going to happen in the fall, then both sides need to get moving now,' said Wu Xinbo, director of the Center for American Studies at Fudan University, during a panel at the World Peace Forum in Beijing on Friday. 'Time is limited and we need to begin making arrangements immediately.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Wu's comments come amid cautious optimism that the world's two largest economies are beginning to stabilise their relationship after months of escalating tensions. Trump and Xi last spoke in early June, and a fragile trade truce struck during talks in London last month appears to be holding. 'In the past week, I've seen real signs that both Washington and Beijing are delivering on their commitments,' Wu said. He pointed to the resumption of some rare earth exports from China and the easing of US restrictions on key tech components as promising indicators. Progress but pressure builds Under the current framework agreement, which runs until mid-August, China agreed to resume exports of rare earth materials essential for wind turbines, electric vehicles, and defence technology. In return, the US relaxed certain export controls, including those on chip-design software, jet engine parts and ethane. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confirmed that rare earth shipments from China have resumed, although not yet at previous levels. Meanwhile, Washington has begun allowing ethane exports and chip-design software sales to China without requiring additional licenses. Despite these developments, the timeline for a potential Trump visit remains uncertain. Sources familiar with White House discussions say Trump's team has begun quietly sounding out business leaders about joining him on a possible trip to China later this year. However, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt clarified that 'no visit has been scheduled at this time.' Opportunity on the horizon Wu suggested that the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in South Korea in October might present a convenient window for Trump to also travel to Beijing. But such a visit, he stressed, requires a broader diplomatic push. 'You can't just leave this to the trade teams,' Wu said. 'We need the involvement of the entire government apparatus, especially the diplomatic and security channels. It's time for Foreign Minister Wang Yi to engage directly with his US counterpart.' His remarks came a day after Liu Jianchao, another senior Chinese official, spoke positively about the future of US-China relations but warned that flashpoints like Taiwan and the South China Sea still carry risk. Liu described war between the two nations as 'unimaginable,' but not impossible if missteps continue. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The stakes of a summit Wu outlined two clear expectations for a potential Trump visit. First, he said Trump should publicly acknowledge China as America's most vital commercial partner. Second, he urged the US president to reaffirm Washington's long-standing stance of non-support for Taiwan's independence and support for peaceful reunification. 'Trump is a smart negotiator,' Wu said. 'He knows how to frame a deal that aligns with America's interests. When he's in Beijing, he'll say what needs to be said.' For now, the momentum appears to be building—but without swift coordination, a meeting between Xi and Trump could remain just out of reach. Whether the delay lies in Beijing, Washington, or both, the clock is undeniably ticking.
NDTV
15-05-2025
- Business
- NDTV
How Trump's Man In Beijing Swung From Trade Globalist To China Hawk
Beijing/Washington: The new US envoy to China, Ambassador David Perdue, is a former champion of global trade turned China hawk who will emphasize his close ties to President Donald Trump as he seeks to restore crucial lines of communication between Washington and Beijing. Perdue, a one-time Republican Senator for Georgia, arrives in Beijing this week to replace career diplomat Nicholas Burns, a pick of former President Joe Biden, who left in January. Perdue's arrival will be closely watched after both sides reached an unexpected truce in Geneva last weekend, pausing a trade war between the world's two biggest economies that had stoked fears of a global recession. "I want the world to know that I know this man personally," Perdue told Trump at a White House event last week. "I am glad to be your man in China." Analysts say Perdue, who was a prominent Senate ally for Trump in his first term, will use his ties to Trump as he seeks to gain credibility with Chinese interlocutors to help push through a trade deal. "I would describe David Perdue as having one of the closest relationships with the President of any of our ambassadors," Republican Senator Steve Daines told Reuters in an interview. "President Trump has picked the right man, at the right time, for this most important responsibility." Perdue is also tasked with helping to convince Beijing to stop the flow to the US of ingredients used to manufacture the deadly opioid fentanyl, the reason behind 20% of Washington's remaining tariffs on China. Daines said he and Perdue have discussed the issue "at length," including a proposal offered by Chinese Premier Li Qiang in March during Daines' visit to Beijing. Daines suggested both sides could structure a tariff reduction deal around whether Beijing commits to effectively stopping the precursor flow within a set timeframe, though it remains up to the two countries' negotiators to hammer out such steps. China's foreign ministry said Wednesday it is "willing to facilitate" Perdue's arrival in Beijing to take up his duties. Reuters has contacted the US Embassy in Beijing for comment. China Links Perdue, 75, was once a global trade evangelist, who leveraged outsourcing manufacturing to Asia during his 40-year international business career. He later became a China security hawk in the Senate, and backed, if initially reluctantly, Trump's first term tariffs on the country. Perdue and Daines co-led congressional delegations to China in 2018 and 2019, meeting then-Premier Li Keqiang and Liu He, President Xi Jinping's former economic tsar and lead Chinese negotiator for the US-China Phase One trade deal to reduce tariffs during Trump's first term. Chinese officials expect Perdue to be more "pragmatic" and economics-minded than his predecessor, who was more focused on "ideological issues" such as human rights, said Wu Xinbo, director of the Center for American Studies at Fudan University. "Given his business background, he can ... work to resolve specific issues in areas such as trade, economic and people-to-people exchanges," said Wu. They are also hoping he can act as a direct communications channel between China and the US, he added. Outsourcing Career Perdue was raised in Warner Robins, Georgia by two teachers from a farming community. He studied at Georgia Institute of Technology before joining consultancy Kurt Salmon Associates, where he helped American clothing manufacturers source products from Asian factories. He helped consumer goods company Sara Lee establish its Asia operations while living in Hong Kong 1992-1994. The firm cut thousands of jobs in 1994, including at plants in Virginia and Georgia. The pattern repeated during his subsequent stints at Haggar Clothing, Reebok and Dollar General. In a 2005 deposition, Perdue said he was "proud" of his outsourcing record and blamed government policies for the decline of US manufacturing, according to a transcript. He won his first Senate race in 2014 as a self-styled "job creator" and global trade evangelist. While senator, Perdue was focused on military and security issues, becoming the head of the Senate Armed Forces Committee's Sea Power Subcommittee in 2019. He advocated for bolstering US maritime power and shipbuilding efforts, and boarded US Navy warship transits in the South China Sea. He visited Taiwan in 2018, meeting the island democracy's then-President Tsai Ing-wen. Following his 2018 visit to China, Perdue told a forum in Washington that he didn't like tariffs but believed Trump's "instincts are right" because they were disruptive enough to get Beijing's attention. At the same event, Perdue warned of US complacency over Beijing's growing economic and military might and expressed concerns about China's direction as it grew in power. "We all got it wrong. We thought as China became more affluent... that they would open up and liberalise," he said. "That just hasn't happened." Seven years later, the US-China relationship remains dogged by the same issues Perdue raised in his visits to China - equal market access, forced tech transfers, intellectual property theft, compliance with world trade norms and cyber warfare. His rhetoric on China has also hardened in recent years, mirroring a bipartisan hawkish shift in Washington toward its top geopolitical rival. Last year, Perdue condemned Xi as a "modern-day emperor," writing in an essay that Beijing wanted to "destroy capitalism and democracy" and that US supply chains should decouple from China. However, during his confirmation hearing last month, Perdue called for a "nuanced, nonpartisan and strategic" approach to Beijing. Yun Sun, a China expert at the Stimson Center, said Perdue was named by Trump early on as a trusted emissary to Beijing. "The challenge between the US and China is structural, so no one expects a single person to change the world," said Sun. "But having an effective communicator is always going to help."
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
How Trump's man in Beijing swung from trade globalist to China hawk
By Laurie Chen and Michael Martina BEIJING/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The new U.S. envoy to China, Ambassador David Perdue is a former champion of global trade turned China hawk who will emphasize his close ties to President Donald Trump as he seeks to restore crucial lines of communication between Washington and Beijing. Perdue, a one-time Republican Senator for Georgia, arrives in Beijing this week to replace career diplomat Nicholas Burns, a pick of former President Joe Biden, who left in January. Perdue's arrival will be closely watched after both sides reached an unexpected truce in Geneva last weekend, pausing a trade war between the world's two biggest economies that had stoked fears of a global recession. "I want the world to know that I know this man personally," Perdue told Trump at a White House event last week. "I am glad to be your man in China." Analysts say Perdue, who was a prominent Senate ally for Trump in his first term, will use his ties to Trump as he seeks to gain credibility with Chinese interlocutors to help push through a trade deal. "I would describe David Perdue as having one of the closest relationships with the President of any of our ambassadors," Republican Senator Steve Daines told Reuters in an interview. "President Trump has picked the right man, at the right time, for this most important responsibility." Perdue is also tasked with helping to convince Beijing to stop the flow to the U.S. of ingredients used to manufacture the deadly opioid fentanyl, the reason behind 20% of Washington's remaining tariffs on China. Daines said he and Perdue have discussed the issue "at length," including a proposal offered by Chinese Premier Li Qiang in March during Daines' visit to Beijing. Daines suggested both sides could structure a tariff reduction deal around whether Beijing commits to effectively stopping the precursor flow within a set timeframe, though it remains up to the two countries' negotiators to hammer out such steps. China's foreign ministry said Wednesday it is "willing to facilitate" Perdue's arrival in Beijing to take up his duties. Reuters has contacted the U.S. Embassy in Beijing for comment. CHINA LINKS Perdue, 75, was once a global trade evangelist, who leveraged outsourcing manufacturing to Asia during his 40-year international business career. He later became a China security hawk in the Senate, and backed, if initially reluctantly, Trump's first term tariffs on the country. Perdue and Daines co-led congressional delegations to China in 2018 and 2019, meeting then-Premier Li Keqiang and Liu He, President Xi Jinping's former economic tsar and lead Chinese negotiator for the U.S.-China Phase One trade deal to reduce tariffs during Trump's first term. Chinese officials expect Perdue to be more "pragmatic" and economics-minded than his predecessor, who was more focused on "ideological issues" such as human rights, said Wu Xinbo, director of the Center for American Studies at Fudan University. "Given his business background, he can ... work to resolve specific issues in areas such as trade, economic and people-to-people exchanges," said Wu. They are also hoping he can act as a direct communications channel between China and the U.S., he added. OUTSOURCING CAREER Perdue was raised in Warner Robins, Georgia by two teachers from a farming community. He studied at Georgia Institute of Technology before joining consultancy Kurt Salmon Associates, where he helped American clothing manufacturers source products from Asian factories. He helped consumer goods company Sara Lee establish its Asia operations while living in Hong Kong 1992-1994. The firm cut thousands of jobs in 1994, including at plants in Virginia and Georgia. The pattern repeated during his subsequent stints at Haggar Clothing, Reebok and Dollar General. In a 2005 deposition, Perdue said he was "proud" of his outsourcing record and blamed government policies for the decline of U.S. manufacturing, according to a transcript. He won his first Senate race in 2014 as a self-styled "job creator" and global trade evangelist. While senator, Perdue was focused on military and security issues, becoming the head of the Senate Armed Forces Committee's Sea Power Subcommittee in 2019. He advocated for bolstering U.S. maritime power and shipbuilding efforts, and boarded U.S. Navy warship transits in the South China Sea. He visited Taiwan in 2018, meeting the island democracy's then-President Tsai Ing-wen. Following his 2018 visit to China, Perdue told a forum in Washington that he didn't like tariffs but believed Trump's "instincts are right" because they were disruptive enough to get Beijing's attention. At the same event, Perdue warned of U.S. complacency over Beijing's growing economic and military might and expressed concerns about China's direction as it grew in power. "We all got it wrong. We thought as China became more affluent... that they would open up and liberalise," he said. "That just hasn't happened." Seven years later, the U.S.-China relationship remains dogged by the same issues Perdue raised in his visits to China - equal market access, forced tech transfers, intellectual property theft, compliance with world trade norms and cyber warfare. His rhetoric on China has also hardened in recent years, mirroring a bipartisan hawkish shift in Washington toward its top geopolitical rival. Last year, Perdue condemned Xi as a "modern-day emperor," writing in an essay that Beijing wanted to "destroy capitalism and democracy" and that U.S. supply chains should decouple from China. However, during his confirmation hearing last month, Perdue called for a "nuanced, nonpartisan and strategic" approach to Beijing. Yun Sun, a China expert at the Stimson Center, said Perdue was named by Trump early on as a trusted emissary to Beijing. "The challenge between the U.S. and China is structural, so no one expects a single person to change the world," said Sun. "But having an effective communicator is always going to help."
Time of India
15-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
How Trump's man in Beijing swung from trade globalist to China hawk
The new U.S. envoy to China, Ambassador David Perdue is a former champion of global trade turned China hawk who will emphasize his close ties to President Donald Trump as he seeks to restore crucial lines of communication between Washington and Beijing . Perdue, a one-time Republican Senator for Georgia, arrives in Beijing this week to replace career diplomat Nicholas Burns, a pick of former President Joe Biden, who left in January. Perdue's arrival will be closely watched after both sides reached an unexpected truce in Geneva last weekend, pausing a trade war between the world's two biggest economies that had stoked fears of a global recession. "I want the world to know that I know this man personally," Perdue told Trump at a White House event last week. "I am glad to be your man in China." Analysts say Perdue, who was a prominent Senate ally for Trump in his first term, will use his ties to Trump as he seeks to gain credibility with Chinese interlocutors to help push through a trade deal. Live Events "I would describe David Perdue as having one of the closest relationships with the President of any of our ambassadors," Republican Senator Steve Daines told Reuters in an interview. "President Trump has picked the right man, at the right time, for this most important responsibility." Perdue is also tasked with helping to convince Beijing to stop the flow to the U.S. of ingredients used to manufacture the deadly opioid fentanyl, the reason behind 20% of Washington's remaining tariffs on China. Daines said he and Perdue have discussed the issue "at length," including a proposal offered by Chinese Premier Li Qiang in March during Daines' visit to Beijing. Daines suggested both sides could structure a tariff reduction deal around whether Beijing commits to effectively stopping the precursor flow within a set timeframe, though it remains up to the two countries' negotiators to hammer out such steps. China's foreign ministry said Wednesday it is "willing to facilitate" Perdue's arrival in Beijing to take up his duties. Reuters has contacted the U.S. Embassy in Beijing for comment. CHINA LINKS Perdue, 75, was once a global trade evangelist, who leveraged outsourcing manufacturing to Asia during his 40-year international business career. He later became a China security hawk in the Senate, and backed, if initially reluctantly, Trump's first term tariffs on the country. Perdue and Daines co-led congressional delegations to China in 2018 and 2019, meeting then-Premier Li Keqiang and Liu He, President Xi Jinping's former economic tsar and lead Chinese negotiator for the U.S.-China Phase One trade deal to reduce tariffs during Trump's first term. Chinese officials expect Perdue to be more "pragmatic" and economics-minded than his predecessor, who was more focused on "ideological issues" such as human rights, said Wu Xinbo, director of the Center for American Studies at Fudan University. "Given his business background, he can ... work to resolve specific issues in areas such as trade, economic and people-to-people exchanges," said Wu. They are also hoping he can act as a direct communications channel between China and the U.S., he added. OUTSOURCING CAREER Perdue was raised in Warner Robins, Georgia by two teachers from a farming community. He studied at Georgia Institute of Technology before joining consultancy Kurt Salmon Associates, where he helped American clothing manufacturers source products from Asian factories. He helped consumer goods company Sara Lee establish its Asia operations while living in Hong Kong 1992-1994. The firm cut thousands of jobs in 1994, including at plants in Virginia and Georgia. The pattern repeated during his subsequent stints at Haggar Clothing, Reebok and Dollar General. In a 2005 deposition, Perdue said he was "proud" of his outsourcing record and blamed government policies for the decline of U.S. manufacturing, according to a transcript. He won his first Senate race in 2014 as a self-styled "job creator" and global trade evangelist. While senator, Perdue was focused on military and security issues, becoming the head of the Senate Armed Forces Committee's Sea Power Subcommittee in 2019. He advocated for bolstering U.S. maritime power and shipbuilding efforts, and boarded U.S. Navy warship transits in the South China Sea. He visited Taiwan in 2018, meeting the island democracy's then-President Tsai Ing-wen. Following his 2018 visit to China, Perdue told a forum in Washington that he didn't like tariffs but believed Trump's "instincts are right" because they were disruptive enough to get Beijing's attention. At the same event, Perdue warned of U.S. complacency over Beijing's growing economic and military might and expressed concerns about China's direction as it grew in power. "We all got it wrong. We thought as China became more affluent... that they would open up and liberalise," he said. "That just hasn't happened." Seven years later, the U.S.-China relationship remains dogged by the same issues Perdue raised in his visits to China - equal market access, forced tech transfers, intellectual property theft, compliance with world trade norms and cyber warfare. His rhetoric on China has also hardened in recent years, mirroring a bipartisan hawkish shift in Washington toward its top geopolitical rival. Last year, Perdue condemned Xi as a "modern-day emperor," writing in an essay that Beijing wanted to "destroy capitalism and democracy" and that U.S. supply chains should decouple from China. However, during his confirmation hearing last month, Perdue called for a "nuanced, nonpartisan and strategic" approach to Beijing. Yun Sun, a China expert at the Stimson Center, said Perdue was named by Trump early on as a trusted emissary to Beijing. "The challenge between the U.S. and China is structural, so no one expects a single person to change the world," said Sun. "But having an effective communicator is always going to help."
Bloomberg
25-04-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Trump ‘Misjudged' China on Trade War, Diplomatic Adviser Says
President Donald Trump misjudged Beijing by calculating that it would cave into economic pressure, leaving the US unprepared to handle the current tariff standoff, according to an adviser to China's Foreign Ministry. 'The mainstream narrative within the Trump team is that because the Chinese economy is bad, if the US plays the tariff card, then China will have no choice but to surrender,' said Wu Xinbo, director at Fudan University's Center for American Studies in Shanghai, who last year led a group of experts in the ministry to meet politicians and business executives in the US.
