Before the US delegation led by Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin arrived in Beijing to discuss a host of trade and investment issues on Thursday and Friday, the right atmosphere should have been created to make the talks productive.
If the high-profile trade negotiations between China and the United States, scheduled for Thursday and Friday, can produce positive outcomes, that would not only serve the interests of both countries but also benefit global trade and the world economy.
A desirable rapprochement between Beijing and Tokyo will not only benefit the two neighbors, but also contribute to the good momentum that has emerged in Northeast Asia of late.
THE VALUE ADDED TAX for manufacturing was lowered from 17 to 16 percent on Tuesday, while the rate for transportation, construction, basic telecommunication services and farm produce was reduced from 11 to 10 percent. The government also unified the standard for small-scale taxpayers and returned the withholdings of value added tax of some industries. Beijing News commented on Wednesday:
AN ONLINE POST showing a Taoist priest practicing "magic" at a ceremony for the laying of the foundation stone for a nuclear power project in Minqin, Northwest China's Gansu province, created a stir recently. Beijing News comments:
CHENGDU, capital of Southwestern China's Sichuan province, recently issued an announcement for openly "auditioning" street performers. Those who pass the tests will receive permits to perform. Gmw.cn comments:
Last month, the United States administration fired the opening salvo in what could lead to a full-blown trade war. While trade frictions have long been an issue in China-US relations, few expected such an escalation, not least because economists widely view trade wars as damaging to all parties. So how did we get to this point, and can we turn back before it's too late?
In an article in the Financial Times on April 9, White House Trade Advisor Peter Navarro claimed the trade deficit with China since 2001 caused the loss of millions of manufacturing jobs in the United States during the George W. Bush and Barack Obama administrations.
Cui Tiankai, China's ambassador to the US, is puzzled by the change in a country where he has lived and worked for many years. "Is the America I used to know - an open, confident, optimistic America - still there?" he said in a speech at Harvard University's Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies on April 17.
The establishment of diplomatic relations between the Dominican Republic and the People's Republic of China was only a matter of time.
"We're going to have very frank discussions", US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a TV interview broadcast on Monday. Which is all well and good. But whether there will be any positive outcomes from the discussions in Beijing on Thursday and Friday will depend on whether the delegation he is heading comes to try and lay down the law to China or amicably find ways to resolve the trade feud that has erupted.