Ding Yifan, China Forum Expert and Deputy Director of China Development Research Center
Apr 30, 2025
There is no winner in a trade war, because sabotaging trade hurts both sides. “Killing 1,000 enemies while losing 800 of one’s own” — a Chinese saying for a scenario in which the cost does not justify the gain — is applicable in this case.
Ma Xue, Associate Fellow, Institute of American Studies, China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations
Apr 30, 2025
Despite the growing risk of economic recession at home, President Donald Trump has done nothing to prepare voters for the pain ahead. He is betting that the Federal Reserve will relax interest rates to mitigate the effect of tariffs, but monetary easing could also trigger an inflation spike.
He Weiwen, Senior Fellow, Center for China and Globalization, CCG
Apr 30, 2025
Tariffs and a trade war are definitely going in the wrong direction. Trump and his team should cast aside all illusions that China will capitulate and that the U.S. can survive the tariff war. The only wise choice is to dump the tariffs and come to the table for talks.
Brian Wong, Assistant Professor in Philosophy and Fellow at Centre on Contemporary China and the World, HKU and Rhodes Scholar
Apr 28, 2025
Speculation about a "Grand Bargain" between Trump and Xi persists, but deep divisions within Washington, Trump’s erratic leadership, and Beijing’s long-term strategic patience make a major breakthrough unlikely. Even if a meeting occurs, structural mistrust and political instability on both sides suggest any deal would be fragile at best.
Fu Ying, Founding Chair of Center for International Security and Strategy, Tsinghua University; China's former Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs
Apr 24, 2025
No single country can respond to the fentanyl challenge alone. What’s needed is joint effort and sustained cooperation – not economic coercion.
Shang-Jin Wei, Professor, Finance and Economics at Columbia University
Apr 22, 2025
China has taken a tough stance against US President Donald Trump, matching the last two rounds of US tariffs with tariffs of its own. The US tariff on goods from China is now 145%, while China’s is 125%. Why does China take such a position, and are there any off-ramps that would allow it to mitigate the costs of a prolonged trade war?
Zhang Jun, Dean, School of Economics, Fudan University
Apr 22, 2025
There are signs that the Chinese economy has been improving, owing to the government’s September 2024 stimulus package. Year-on-year GDP growth in the first quarter of this year reached 5.4% – continuing the marked acceleration from the third quarter of last year.
Lucio Blanco Pitlo III, President of Philippine Association for Chinese Studies, and Research Fellow at Asia-Pacific Pathways to Progress Foundation
Apr 22, 2025
For many nations, a highly profitable trade relationship with the United States is now no longer a given. With President Trump’s tariff agenda looming over the world, how is Asia planning for a future where the U.S. may not be so open for business?
Richard Javad Heydarian, Professorial Chairholder in Geopolitics, Polytechnic University of the Philippines
Apr 22, 2025
The recent tariff episode shook global economic confidence in a way that’s only been seen in the aftermath of major catastrophes, despite relief coming in the short-term. Has the damage been done to America’s trade hegemony?
Warwick Powell, Adjunct Professor at Queensland University of Technology, Senior Fellow at Beijing Taihe Institute
Apr 18, 2025
America needs to come to peace with itself before it can come to peace with the rest of the world. Negotiating an economic detente that contributes to American national healing is, arguably, a question of global interest. But there won’t be any free lunches for the Americans.