Reading China There is little concrete messaging from the U.S.–China trade negotiations this week, but an announcement out of Beijing may reflect positively for one American demand – addressing the issue of state-owned enterprises (SOEs). The government said that it will pursue supply-side structural reforms, including supporting the development of private-sector enterprises while moving faster to shut down poorly performing SOEs. However, the announcement does not signal any near-term bilateral agreement. In fact, the list of disputes is too long to be solved in one fell swoop. Moreover, the number of disputants may be growing. Europe has signaled its interest in a tougher line on China, and now some in Australia believe thei...

TAGS – Australia, China, Europe, North America