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Media Report
April 10 , 2018
  • CNN reports: "Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday said his government would "significantly lower" tariffs on vehicle imports this year as part of efforts to further open its giant economy to the world. The pledge addresses one of the gripes of US President Donald Trump, who has threatened to impose new tariffs on $150 billion of Chinese goods in a trade dispute between the world's two largest economies. Experts cautioned, though, that Xi's comments may not do much to resolve the conflict, which has rocked markets in recent weeks. During an eagerly awaited speech at a development conference on the tropical Chinese island of Hainan, Xi billed the planned cut in vehicle tariffs and a series of other measures as "a new phase of opening up." But many of the steps he outlined are ones Beijing has already proposed in some form."
  • CNBC reports: "China has approached Vanuatu about establishing a permanent military presence on the tiny Pacific island, Australia's Fairfax Media reported on Tuesday, a plan that would likely stoke regional tensions. The report, citing unnamed sources, said no formal proposal had yet been made, but preliminary talks have been held about locating a full military base on Vanuatu. It added that the prospect of a Chinese military outpost so close to Australia has been discussed at the highest levels in Canberra and Washington. Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop on Tuesday said she had been assured by Vanuatu officials that there was no formal proposal from Beijing, but she stopped short of addressing whether there had been any unofficial talks."
  • Jonathan Hillman comments in the Washington Post: "China's $1 trillion push to build infrastructure across Asia evokes romantic comparisons to the ancient Silk Road, but there is a more recent chapter of history that urges caution. More than a century and a half ago, the United States was a rising power racing westward, building transcontinental railways that delivered limited benefits and exacted a high cost from society. Today, China has taken on that role. The parallels are striking — and troubling. Mixing economic and strategic aims, America's transcontinental railways became an unquestionable national imperative. Their actual construction, however, catered more to elite interests than collective wellbeing. Political favors trumped economic fundamentals thanks to shady financing, excessive subsidies and a heady dose of nationalism."
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