U.S.-China Trade: Deal or No Deal?

Wendy Cutler and Arthur Kroeber discuss the U.S.-China trade relationship with Tom Nagorski. (56 min., 28 sec.)

Breakfast available from 8:00 a.m.
Discussion begins at 8:30 a.m.

Like many candidates before him, Donald Trump spoke of taking a tough line on China on the campaign trail. Unlike his predecessors, President Trump has pursued a largely confrontational approach since taking office, resulting in escalating tit-for-tat tariffs between the world’s two largest economies. Last December, the U.S. and China announced a 90-day truce, and entered into negotiations aimed at resolving the impasse.

Join us for a discussion soon after the deadline, with Asia Society Policy Institute’s Wendy Cutler and Arthur Kroeber, partner and Head of Research at Gavekal, a financial-services firm based in Hong Kong, to discuss the outcomes of the U.S.-China trade negotiations. Will a deal get done? Will even stiffer tariffs be imposed? Either way, what are the likely implications for the global economy, and the broader U.S.-China relationship?

Speakers

Wendy Cutler (via video) is Asia Society Policy Institute (ASPI) Vice President and Managing Director of the Washington D.C. Office. She joined ASPI following an illustrious career of nearly three decades as a diplomat and negotiator in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR). Most recently, she served as Acting Deputy U.S. Trade Representative, and was responsible for the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement, including bilateral negotiations with Japan. Her other responsibilities with USTR included U.S.-China trade relations, the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum, and the U.S.-India Trade Policy Forum. She was the Chief U.S. Negotiator for the U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement.

Arthur R. Kroeber is a partner and Head of Research at Gavekal, a Hong Kong-based financial services firm; Founder of the China-focused Gavekal Dragonomics research service; editor of China Economic Quarterly; and author of China’s Economy: What Everyone Needs to Know. Before founding Dragonomics in 2002, he spent 15 years as a financial and economic journalist in China and South Asia. He is a senior non-resident fellow of the Brookings-Tsinghua Center, an adjunct professor at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs and NYU's Stern School of Business, and a member of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations. 

Tom Nagorski (moderator) is Executive Vice President of Asia Society. He joined the Asia Society following a three-decade career in journalism—having served most recently as Managing Editor for International Coverage at ABC News.

This program is made possible through the generous support of the Nicholas and Sheila Platt Endowment for Public Policy.