Wu Zhenglong, Senior Research Fellow, China Foundation for International Studies
May 23, 2019
Although the latest round of China-US trade talks has ended without agreement, the door to dialogue remains opens. Overall, the level of economic interdependence between the two sides’ makes imposing tariffs a self-defeating tactic — the Sino-US relationship is “too big to fail.”
Tom Watkins, President and CEO of the Economic Council of Palm Beach County, FL
May 20, 2019
While China’s Belt and Road Initiative offers a solution to problems that require international assistance to address, this is not Beijing’s altruism at work. The BRI is still a money-making investment and an opportunity for China to increase its connectivity throughout the globe.
Chen Zinan, Assistant Researcher, Maritime Strategy Studies, CICIR
May 20, 2019
America’s top diplomat, Mike Pompeo, recently attacked China’s Arctic activities. But this criticism lacks coherence and a basis in international law — China’s proposed “Polar Silk Road,” among other projects including infrastructure and scientific research, are lawful and mutually beneficial.
Teresa Kennedy, Master's student at Peking University's Yenching Academy in Beijing
May 17, 2019
It is impossible to predict the full environmental impact of the Belt and Road Initiative, so it is critical that Chinese authorities take full advantage of every opportunity to consciously build a greener Belt and Road.
Zhang Yun, Associate Professor at National Niigata University in Japan, Nonresident Senior Fellow at University of Hong Kong
May 16, 2019
The US-China trade war has distorted a clear-eyed view of how both par-ties arrived at the current confrontation. Rather than “hegemonic” policies being pursued by China, it is more accurate to say that both sides have delayed difficult structural reforms and are now paying the price.
Adnan Aamir, Journalist and Researcher, Islamabad, Pakistan
May 15, 2019
Malaysia’s renegotiation of the East Coast Rail Link proved that Belt and Road Initiative projects can be significantly overpriced. This marks a dangerous trend for China, if other BRI host countries follow the path of Malaysia.
Ding Yifan, China Forum Expert and Deputy Director of China Development Research Center
May 15, 2019
The ongoing US-China trade war and increased tariffs have raised the prospect of a long-term “decoupling” of the world’s two largest economies. But who would this breakup hurt most? A look at US and Chinese industries shows that the burden for such a harsh strategy would fall disproportionately on American firms and consumers, while failing to stop China’s economic rise.
Alicia Garcia Herrero, Chief Economist for Asia Pacific at NATIXIS and Senior Fellow at Bruegel
Kohei Iwahara, an economist based in Tokyo
May 14, 2019
The outcome of the US-China trade war is anticipated to be quite different from the experience of Japan in the 1980s and 1990s, due to China’s relatively lower dependence on the US and having learned from Japan’s experience.
Fu Mengzi, VP, China Institutes of Contemporary Int'l Relations
Zhang Jing, PhD student, China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations
May 14, 2019
Despite recent Belt and Road successes, including EU states joining, the China-led initiative still faces accusations of “debt-trap diplomacy.” The details of infrastructure projects in Sri Lanka and beyond, however, show that the Belt and Road is pushing for a new era of more equitable globalization based on “hard” and “soft” connectivity, without disrupting the existing rules and world order.
May 14, 2019
The U.S.-China trade war is heating up once again.