Trade talks between China and the United States have been fast-tracked after a virtual meeting between presidents Xi Jinping and Joe Biden, but finding common ground for future negotiations is still far from assured, according to analysts.
While both sides appeared to put aside recent acrimony to address bilateral economic issues, Chinese analysts still question what is behind the US’ “strategic competition” and how far negotiations will progress amid anti-China rhetoric on Capitol Hill and accusations that China is a “non-market economy”.
Tuesday’s meeting showed the two countries were keen on lowering the temperature, but they remain wide apart on issues of economics, geopolitical influence, tech and human rights.
Chen Fengying, a senior fellow of the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations (CICIR), said Chinese purchases under the phase-one trade deal, along with supply-chain issues, could be future topics of discussion, especially as the Biden administration looks to cool US inflation.
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