CHINA/ECONOMY/TARIFFS/TECHNOLOGY/TRADE DEALS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The Trump administration is using the current trade truce with China to flex its diplomatic muscles in a bid to get its own way. So far, it looks like the strategy may be succeeding. The U.S. sees a chance to push China around. ‘The country’s economy is in a sharp downturn, putting political pressure on President Xi Jinping to reach a deal with President Trump,’ write Keith Bradsher, Alan Rappeport and Glenn Thrush of the NYT. ‘American officials recognize the leverage they now have, wielding tariffs to extract concessions that Beijing has long delayed or rejected altogether.’ China is already making some concessions. Beijing has begun to lift barriers it recently imposed on imports of American food, energy and cars — even as the U.S. maintains tariffs on $250 billion in Chinese goods. Orders for American soybeans are reportedly already rolling in. But the Trump administration wants action on wider issues. The White House is concerned about issues like pressure on American companies to hand over valuable technology when they seek entry to the Chinese market and the theft of industrial secrets. The F.B.I. gave that view credence yesterday by deeming Chinese cyber espionage the ‘most severe’ threat to U.S. security.”
–NYT Staff, “DealBook Briefing: Trump’s Strong-Arming of China Might Be Working,” The New York Times online, December 13, 2018