Highlights of This Month’s Edition
• Bilateral trade: In 2018, the U.S. goods trade deficit with China grew 11.6 percent year-on-year to $419 billion due to a 7.4 percent drop in exports to China, while U.S. imports from China grew 6.7 percent to reach a record $539.5 billion.
• Bilateral policy issues: U.S.-China trade negotiations continue as the March 1 deadline for tariff increases is delayed until further notice; Huawei’s troubles compound as the U.S. Department of Justice charges the company with violating U.S.-Iran sanctions and stealing trade secrets; countries around the world weigh Huawei’s 5G participation, some push back on U.S. warning of security concerns.
• Policy trends in China’s economy: The long-awaited Greater Bay Area Plan, an ambitious blueprint to integrate nine cities in Guangdong Province with Hong Kong and Macau, sets the goal of rivalling Silicon Valley against high barriers to coordination.
• Sector focus – Digital Services: With over 800 million internet users, the Chinese digital services market is growing quickly, creating lucrative opportunities for digital services providers in industries such as cloud computing, digital content, and e-commerce. However, U.S. and other foreign digital services companies face significant regulatory obstacles and strong domestic competition.