Highlights of This Month’s Edition
· Bilateral trade: U.S. goods deficit with China in April 2017 increased 13.7 percent year-on-year due to robust growth in U.S. imports.
· Bilateral policy issues: The initial results of the U.S.-China 100-day action plan yield modest outcomes on agriculture, financial services, natural gas, and biotechnology; China’s cybersecurity law restricting overseas data flows goes into effect despite protests from foreign businesses; the Cybersecurity Administration of China prohibits foreign online news providers from operating in China through joint ventures.
· Policy trends in China’s economy: China’s banking regulator issues comprehensive guidelines for controlling risks surrounding shady wealth management products (WMPs); new restrictions have caused banks to unwind WMP investment, which has raised costs of borrowing in some markets; China holds May 2017 summit for its One Belt One Road initiative, pledging $124 billion in funding for infrastructure projects and industrial development in participating countries; China plans to invest in a new economic zone called Xiongan New Area.
· Sector focus – Beef: China promises to reopen its market to U.S. beef, but the lack of progress on Chinese poultry imports to the United States, use of growth-enhancing drugs in the feed of U.S. cattle, and lack of traceability of U.S. beef remain major hurdles to finalizing negotiations.