Border wall widens political divide in US

Editor's Note: The US House of Representatives controlled by the Democratic Party refuses to fund US President Donald Trump's $5.7 billion project to build a wall on the US-Mexico border in order to prevent illegal immigrants from crossing into the United States, leading to the longest shutdown of the government. What will be the consequences of the government shutdown on the US economy? And how will it affect US relations with its southern neighbors? Two experts share their views on the issue with China Daily's Pan Yixuan. Excerpts follow:

Unilateralism the bane of US politics

Chen Qi, a professor of international studies at Tsinghua University