Analysis: Fighting While Talking — the Next Phase of U.S.-China Trade War

Chinese and American negotiators reached an agreement on June 9 to begin implementing the Geneva trade accord, after two days of bilateral talks in London.

The meeting, the first under a newly established bilateral consultation mechanism, built on tentative momentum from May’s Geneva talks, while grappling with new sources of strain that have emerged over the past month.

Although the Geneva discussions had led to notable agreements — chiefly mutual tariff reductions — Washington quickly followed with a cascade of targeted measures against China. Just one day after signing the Geneva statement, the U.S. issued new export control guidelines aimed at artificial intelligence chips. This was soon followed by further curbs, including a ban on the sale of critical chip design software and the revoking of certain Chinese student visas.