As the global economy continues to grapple with the roller coaster uncertainties of President Donald Trump's tariff war, trade relations between the world's two largest economies - the United States and China - have reached a breaking point. A series of tit-for-tat tariff escalations has pushed their economic ties to the brink, with ripple effects being felt far beyond their borders.
While many smaller nations scramble to shield themselves from the fallout of this high-stakes trade conflict, China is positioning itself as a stabilizing force - seeking to capitalize on global dissatisfaction with U.S. trade policy and promote its own image as a force for stable trade in the world.
But how does China's claim hold up under scrutiny ?
In this episode of Perspectives with Neilo, we unpack China's performance as a global trading partner, explore its engagement with the World Trade Organization, and examine whether its claims of being a stabilizing force in global trade hold any water or just mask deeper strategic ambitions.
Date of Recording: April 21st, 2025
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| Image released by China's PLA Eastern Theatre Command as part of their 'Strait Thunder 2025A' military drills launched around Taiwan on March 31st. The image indicates target strike locations in many of Taiwan's major metropolitan areas. |
DIVE DEEPER:
Additional information on the topics covered in this episode:
- China Launches 'Strait Thunder-2025A' Military Drills Around Taiwan - TaiwanPlus News - YouTube (April 2nd, 2025)
- China describes military exercises around Taiwan as a warning to 'separatist forces' - Denis Staunton, The Irish Times (April 1st, 2025)
- Crossroads of Commerce: How the Taiwan Strait Propels the Global Economy - Matthew P. Funaiole, Brian Hart et al, Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) (October 10th, 2024)
- EU trade chief meets Chinese officials amid tariff threat - Denis Staunton, The Irish Times (March 27th, 2025)
- EU 'open to doing more trade with China', says Michael McGrath - Tadgh McNally, Irish Examiner (March 17th, 2025)
- Trump's tariffs leave China's neighbours with an impossible choice - Koh Ewe, Nick March, Astudestra Ajengrastri, BBC News (April 18th, 2025)
- Xi arrives in Malaysia with a message: China's a better partner than Trump - Amy Chew, Aljazeera (April 16th, 2025)
- Xi Fights Trump's Tariffs With Global Charm Offensive - Austin Ramzy, Kim Mackrael and Samantha Pearson, The Wall Street Journal (April 16th, 2025)
- MERICS China Essentials Special Issue: The US-China trade war - Jacob Gunter et al, MERICS (April 10th, 2025)
- Full Speech: Trump Announces Reciprocal Tariff, Baseline Tatiff Plan | WSJ - YouTube (April 2nd, 2025)
- China files new complaint to WTO over Trump tariffs - Olivia Le Poidevin, Reuters (April 9th, 2025)
- Taiwan office in Lithuania to keep its name despite China talks: lawmaker - Lery Hiciano, CNA via Taipei Times (April 18th, 2025)
- EU to resume WTO case against China over alleged economic coercion of Lithuania - Finbarr Bermingham, SCMP (January 24th, 2025)
You might also like:
- Beijing Rules - Interview with Bethany Allen (January 2024)
- Shining a light on China's Gray Zone - Interview with Ray Powell, (November 2024)
- China's Maritime Aggression (August 2024)
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