The United States’ relationship with China was strained during the Obama administration, with sharp differences over economic and trade issues, cyberattacks and Beijing’s assertive maneuvers in the South China Sea.
But since taking office last month, President Trump has signaled that matters could get even more contentious, as his administration has vowed to project more military might in Asia and to impose high tariffs on Chinese goods. China could respond with its own punitive measures.
A new report by a bipartisan task force of prominent China specialists is warning of dire consequences, including the possibility of a trade war or an armed skirmish, unless the United States can find a more effective way to engage China.
The 72-page report, to be issued Tuesday by the Asia Society’s Center on U.S.-China Relations and the School of Global Policy and Strategy at the University of California, San Diego, urged the Trump administration to take a tougher line on China, while reaffirming principles that have guided relations between the two nations since the 1970s.
Link to the Asia Society and UC San Diego report is HERE.
