May 21, 2018 - Economy & Business

With trade war "on hold," China looks like winner

Photo: Fred Dufour/AFP/Getty Images

The #2 story on the WashPost's homepage argues that based on the joint U.S.-China statement released Saturday, "China looks as if it's winning President Trump's trade skirmish — so far."

Be smart: Axios' Jonathan Swan analyzes the Trump administration's weekend trade moves on China in a pithy tweet, "The bark to bite ratio is currently about 85:1."

Here's the case by WaPo's economics correspondent Heather Long:

  • "Notice China didn't agree to a specific amount."
  • The statement was "brief and lackluster" on intellectual property theft.
  • Fox Business host Lou Dobbs: “Chinese say 'no deal.'"
  • "China's 'concessions' are things it planned to do anyway."
  • "The United States agreed to suspend tariffs."
  • "Zero curbs on China's high-tech plans."

"Trump’s tough-guy persona is taking a beating from China," says a story at the top of the Post's print front page, by David J. Lynch:

  • "The former business executive, who prides himself on his negotiating savvy, is facing criticism for bending to the Chinese government, ... alarming longtime supporters who had welcomed his call for a more confrontational approach to Beijing."
  • "Administration officials ... scrambled to cast the Chinese talks as a victory, while some staunch Trump supporters questioned whether Trump had blinked in the first major confrontation with China."

Go deeper: Swan examined this weekend announcements in-depth last night.

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