Blame games, tit-for-tat threats, off-again on-again meetings between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, and wild tariff swings seem to be the recent order of the day.
According to former government officials and analysts, however, this should come as no surprise – it’s just the price you pay when diplomatic norms are brushed off.
Trump’s salvoes followed Beijing’s move a day earlier to expand export controls over strategic rare earth minerals and related technologies.
Those in turn were triggered by Washington’s move late last month to expand sanctions on companies at least half owned by blacklisted firms on national security grounds.
“This is what happens when there’s a lack of clear communication. Both sides have misread the other,” said Zack Cooper, a fellow with the conservative American Enterprise Institute.
