Asian Angle | Trump joined China trade and North Korea at the hip, each now drags the other down
The US president’s policy aims are potentially in tatters – and his predicament is entirely of his own making
While his long-time personal lawyer and his former campaign manager were found guilty on a number of criminal charges just minutes apart in courtrooms in New York and Washington, the US’ two key antagonists in Asia delivered uncompromising messages to The Donald.
A negotiating team headed by Chinese commerce vice-minister Wang Shouwen let it be known that Beijing – far from blinking – was girding its loins and digging in for the long haul in its trade spat with the US.
Beijing was not interested in engaging in deficit reduction discussions with Washington, would not forfeit its right to comprehensively develop its economy and technology, would not be held accountable to extra-World Trade Organisation (WTO) standards, and would retaliate if a new round of Section 301 tariffs was imposed on its US-bound exports. And if Washington has issues with the WTO-infringing aspects of China’s alleged technology-transfer policies, it should point them out.
A few hours later, the vice-chairman of North Korea’s ruling Workers’ Party Central Committee, Kim Yong-chol, ruled out the possibility that Pyongyang would unilaterally take the next steps towards denuclearisation.
