Chronologies
US - China
Chronology from Jan 2019 to May 2019
: Secretary Mnuchin and USTR Lighthizer arrive in Beijing to meet Vice Premier Liu He for the 10th round of US-China high-level economic and trade consultations.
: US military sends two Navy destroyers, the William P. Lawrence and Stethem, through the Taiwan Strait.
: Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Kimberly Breier gives remarks on China’s economic, technological, and political practices in Latin America at the AS/COA.
: FBI Director Christopher Wray delivers a speech centered around China’s “multilayered threat” to the US at the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington, DC.
: US-China Economic and Security Review Commission holds a hearing titled “China in Space: A Strategic Competition?”
: President Trump declares that he will soon host President Xi at the White House.
: Adam Hickey, US deputy assistant attorney-general, delivers a speech at the Fifth National Conference on CFIUS and Team Telecom. He says Beijing is “using its intelligence services and their tradecraft to target our private sector’s intellectual property.”
: USS Blue Ridge, the US 7th Fleet’s command ship, arrives in Hong Kong for a port call, with its commander vowing to “sail in accordance with international law.”
: WTO sides with the US in a dispute over whether Beijing unfairly blocks market access for US grains through restrictive use of tariff-rate quotas for wheat, rice and corn.
: Trump tweets, “Chinese Telecom Giant Huawei hires former Obama Cyber Security Official as a lobbyist. This is not good, or acceptable! @FoxNews @SteveHiltonx”
: Treasury Secretary Mnuchin says that he believes the United States and China are nearing the final stage of trade negotiations.
: Vice President Pence tweets: “In February, the U.S. introduced a resolution calling for the restoration of democracy in Venezuela & for aid be released into the country. Russia & China blocked it. They continue to obstruct at the @UN & rogue states like Iran and Cuba are doing all they can to prop up Maduro.”
: US Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan states that China is the top threat economic and diplomatic threat to U.S. security.
: Secretary Pompeo says China plays a role in spreading disorder in Latin America through its economic projects and financial backing of President Nicolás Maduro’s regime in Venezuela.
: US Ambassador Alice Wells meets President of the World Uyghur Congress Dolkun Isa to discuss China’s campaign of repression against Uighurs, ethnic Kazakhs, and members of other Muslim minority groups, and its impact on the security of people in South, Central, and SE Asia.
: Trump tweets, “Despite the unnecessary and destructive actions taken by the Fed, the Economy is looking very strong, the China and USMCA deals are moving along nicely, there is little or no Inflation, and USA optimism is very high!”
: President Trump meets China’s Vice Premier Liu He after the ninth round of high-level US-China trade talks.
: China’s Vice Commissioner of the National Narcotics Control Commission Liu Yuejin announces that China will add fentanyl-related substances to a supplementary list of controlled drugs and substances starting May 1, 2019.
: John Bolton tweets; Chinese military provocations won’t win any hearts or minds in Taiwan, but they will strengthen the resolve of people everywhere who value democracy. The Taiwan Relations Act and our commitment are clear.
: Secretary Mnuchin tweets, “@USTradeRep and I concluded constructive trade talks in Beijing. I look forward to welcoming China’s Vice Premier Liu He to continue these important discussions in Washington next week.”
: China and the US hold eighth round of high-level economic and trade consultations in Beijing. USTR Lighthizer and Secretary Mnuchin meet Vice Premier Liu He.
: Trump tweets, “Just met with @SundarPichai, President of @Google, who is obviously doing quite well. He stated strongly that he is totally committed to the U.S. Military, not the Chinese Military….”
: Secretary Pompeo meets representatives of the Uighur community. Pompeo calls for “the end of repression” and the release of all those who had been “arbitrarily detained.”
: United States sends a destroyer and a Coast guard cutter through the Taiwan Strait, noting that the action demonstrates the US commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific.
: Special Representative Stephen Biegun arrives in Beijing to discuss North Korea with Chinese counterparts.
: Li Zhanshu, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, meets a “US-China Working Group” delegation of the United States House of Representatives.
: US Treasury Department sanctions two Chinese shipping companies it says helped North Korea evade US and international sanctions. The action prohibits US dealings with the designated companies and freezes any assets they have in the United States.
: US-China Economic and Security Review Commission holds a hearing titled “An Emerging China-Russia Axis? Implications for the United States in an Era of Strategic Competition.”
: President Trump tells reporters at the White House that tariffs on China will remain in place to ensure that China complies with any potential trade deal.
: Trump tweets, “Google is helping China and their military, but not the U.S. Terrible! The good news is that they helped Crooked Hillary Clinton, and not Trump….and how did that turn out?”
: China’s State Council Information Office publishes a document titled “Chronology of Human Rights Violations of the United States in 2018.”
: US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations holds committee hearing titled “A New Approach for an Era of US-China Competition.”
: Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Lu Kang, rebukes Secretary of State Pompeo’s claims that China is blocking access to energy beneath the South China Sea, calling the claims “irresponsible.”
: Secretary of State Pompeo remarks on the release of the 2018 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices stating that China is “in a league of its own when it comes to human rights violations.”
: Two US Air Force B-52H Stratofortress bombers conduct a routine training mission over the contested waters of the South China Sea.
: Vice Premier Liu He discusses trade deal text over the phone with USTR Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Mnuchin.
: Secretary of State Pompeo accuses Beijing of “illegal island-building in international waterways” in order to block other claimants to the South China Sea “from accessing more than $2.5 trillion in recoverable energy reserves.”
: United States Attorney Sherri Lyndon hosts a discussion titled, “China’s Threat to Our National Security: An Economic and Private Sector Perspective.”
: US Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Subcommittee on Security holds a hearing titled “China: Challenges for U.S. Commerce.”
: US House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology holds a hearing titled “Maintaining US Leadership in Science and Technology.”
: In a letter to Secretary Pompeo, members of the US House Foreign Affairs Committee urge the Trump administration to take decisive action condemning China’s human rights abuses perpetrated against Uyghur citizens in China’s Xinjiang province.
: Trump tweets, “I have asked China to immediately remove all Tariffs on our agricultural products (including beef, pork, etc.) based on the fact that we are moving along nicely with Trade discussions….”
: Trump tweets, “….and I did not increase their second traunch of Tariffs to 25% on March 1st. This is very important for our great farmers – and me!”
: Yang Jiechi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, holds a phone conversation with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
: US Senate’s Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations holds a hearing in Washington on “China’s Impact on the US Education System.”
: USTR Lighthizer states, “The United States proved that China for years provided government support for its grain producers far in excess of the levels China agreed to when it joined the WTO. China’s excessive support limits opportunities for U.S. farmers to export their world-class products to China. We expect China to quickly come into compliance with its WTO obligations.”
: US-China Economic and Security Review Commission holds a hearing titled “Risks, Rewards, and Results: U.S. Companies in China and Chinese Companies in the United States.”
: While speaking at a press conference in Hanoi after his two-day summit with Kim Jong Un, President Trump states, “China has been very helpful. President Xi is a great leader. He is a highly respected leader all over the world. Could he be more helpful [in encouraging Pyongyang to give up its pursuit of nuclear weapons]? Probably.”
: US Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations holds a hearing titled “China’s Impact on the U.S. Education System.”
: China’s Ministry of Commerce states that the Feb. 24-26 meeting between Vice Premier Liu He and USTR Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Mnuchin made “substantial progress with respects to technology transfer, IPR protection, non-tariff barriers, service industry, agriculture and foreign exchange rates “
: Trump tweets, “All false reporting (guessing) on my intentions with respect to North Korea. Kim Jong Un and I will try very hard to work something out on Denuclearization & then making North Korea an Economic Powerhouse. I believe that China, Russia, Japan & South Korea will be very helpful!”
: US House Committee on Ways and Means holds a hearing on US-China trade, with USTR Lighthizer serving as a witness.
: US Senate’s Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations release a report saying that Chinese Confucius Institutes have acted as tightly controlled propaganda arms for Beijing and should be changed or shut down.
: US Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship holds a hearing titled “Made in China 2025 and the Future of American Industry.”
: US House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence holds committee hearing titled “National Security Implications of the Rise of Authoritarianism Around the World.”
: US Navy destroyer Stethem and cargo and ammunition ship Cesar Chavez sail through the Taiwan Strait.
: Trump tweets, “China Trade Deal (and more) in advanced stages. Relationship between our two Countries is very strong. I have therefore agreed to delay U.S. tariff hikes. Let’s see what happens?”
: Trump tweets, “If a deal is made with China, our great American Farmers will be treated better than they have ever been treated before!”
: Trump tweets, “Very productive talks yesterday with China on Trade. Will continue today! I will be leaving for Hanoi, Vietnam, early tomorrow for a Summit with Kim Jong Un of North Korea, where we both expect a continuation of the progress made at first Summit in Singapore. Denuclearization?”
: Trump tweets, “President Xi of China has been very helpful in his support of my meeting with Kim Jong Un. The last thing China wants are large scale nuclear weapons right next door. Sanctions placed on the border by China and Russia have been very helpful. Great relationship with Chairman Kim!”
: Trump tweets, “I am pleased to report that the U.S. has made substantial progress in our trade talks with China on important structural issues including intellectual property protection, technology transfer, agriculture, services, currency, and many other issues. As a result of these very……”
: Trump tweets, “….productive talks, I will be delaying the U.S. increase in tariffs now scheduled for March 1. Assuming both sides make additional progress, we will be planning a Summit for President Xi and myself, at Mar-a-Lago, to conclude an agreement. A very good weekend for U.S. & China!”
: USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue tweets, “In Oval Office meeting today, the Chinese committed to buy an additional 10 million metric tons of US soybeans. Hats off to @POTUS for bringing China to the table. Strategy is working. Show of good faith by the Chinese. Also indications of more good news to come.”
: President Trump and Vice Premier Liu He of China, along with the entire US and Chinese delegations, meet in the Oval Office to discuss trade agreement negotiations.
: Principal-level trade negotiations take place in Washington led by USTR Lighthizer, and Vice Premier Liu He.
: President Trump announces that the US will welcome an official delegation from China for a series of meeting beginning Feb. 19. Principal-level meetings will begin Feb. 21.
: Xinhua reports that Yang Jiechi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee hopes the US and China will implement advancing bilateral ties based on coordination, cooperation, and stability.
: After meeting the Chinese trade delegation in Beijing, Treasury Secretary Mnuchin says talks with China are “so far, so good,” and that he hopes the talks will continue to be “productive.”
: Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), chairman of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, releases a report titled “Made in China 2025 and the Future of American Industry.”
: Principal-level trade negotiations take place in Beijing led by USTR Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Mnuchin, and Chinese Vice Premier Liu He.
: In testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Adm. Phil Davidson, Commander, US Indo-Pacific Command, says China represents the greatest long-term strategic threat to a free and open Indo-Pacific and to the United States.
: China’s Development Research Centre of the State Council (DRC) releases a report predicting the US will remain the sole economic superpower until 2035.
: Speaking to reporters, President Trump says that “he could let the March 1 deadline for a trade agreement with China slide for a little while [but I would prefer not to].”
: During a Cabinet meeting at the White House, President Trump states, “China wants to make a deal badly. We’ve gone up tremendously in value as a country, in economic value. Larry [Kudlow] we’ve gone up $11 trillion, $14 trillion? And China has gone down close to $20 trillion since we’ve started this whole… China [currently] is the worst performing stock market in the world.”
: The guided-missile destroyers USS Spruance and USS Preble conduct freedom of navigation operations in the South China Sea and sail within 12 nm of the Mischief Reef.
: Deputy-level trade negotiations commence in Beijing led by Deputy United States Trade Representative Jeffrey Gerrish.
: US-China Economic and Security Review Commission holds a hearing titled “What Keeps Xi up at Night: Beijing’s Internal and External Challenges.”
: Speaking at the reception for the 40th anniversary of US-China diplomatic relations and Chinese New Year, Chinese Ambassador to the US Cui Tiankai states, “New global challenges keep coming up. More than ever before, the world needs China and the United States to work together.”
: Speaking to reporters, President Trump confirms that he will not meet with President Xi Jinping before the March 2 trade deal deadline.
: Speaking to media at the White House, US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin says, “Ambassador Lighthizer and myself and a large team are on our way to Beijing next week. We are committed to continue these [trade] talks.”
: US Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation holds a hearing titled “Winning the Race to 5G and the Next Era of Technology Innovation in the US.”
: White House releases the “Presidential Message in Celebration of the Lunar New Year.”
: During his State of the Union Address, President Trump says that any new trade deal with China “must include real, structural change to end unfair trade practices, reduce our chronic trade deficit and protect American jobs.”
: China’s Commerce Ministry opposes a report by the USTR on itsWTO compliance, claiming that, “it is inconsistent with the facts. The report was based on U.S. domestic law rather than WTO agreements and multilateral rules.”
: US Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator (IPEC), Vishal Amin, issues the Trump administration’s 2018 Annual Intellectual Property Report.
: Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) releases its annual report on China’s World Trade Organization (WTO) compliance.
: Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Geng Shuang remarks on the US suspending its INF Treaty obligations, stating: “China is opposed to the US withdrawal and urges the US and Russia to properly resolve differences through constructive dialogue.”
: During a meeting on Human Trafficking, President Trump states, “China has agreed to criminalize fentanyl. That’s going to have a huge impact on fentanyl coming into the country.” Additionally, President Trump states, “My relationship with President Xi is better, I guarantee, than any relationship of a President and a President.”
: US division of Chinese state-run media organization China Global Television Network files with the US Justice Department as a foreign agent. CGTN America states, “Nonetheless, CGTN America has elected to file this registration statement out of an abundance of caution and in the spirit of cooperation with US authorities.”
: At the signing of Executive Order, “Strengthening Buy-American Preferences for Infrastructure Projects,” President Trump states, “China is having a very hard time with their economy… [speaking about the trade negotiations] Something will happen. It will be – if it does happen, it will be, by far, the largest trade deal ever made.”
: Trump tweets, “China’s top trade negotiators are in the U.S. meeting with our representatives. Meetings are going well with good intent and spirit on both sides. China does not want an increase in Tariffs and feels they will do much better if they make a deal. They are correct. I will be……”
: Trump tweets, “….meeting with their top leaders and representatives today in the Oval Office. No final deal will be made until my friend President Xi, and I, meet in the near future to discuss and agree on some of the long standing and more difficult points. Very comprehensive transaction….”
: Trump tweets, “….China’s representatives and I are trying to do a complete deal, leaving NOTHING unresolved on the table. All of the many problems are being discussed and will be hopefully resolved. Tariffs on China increase to 25% on March 1st, so all working hard to complete by that date!”
: Trump tweets, “Looking for China to open their Markets not only to Financial Services, which they are now doing, but also to our Manufacturing, Farmers and other U.S. businesses and industries. Without this a deal would be unacceptable!”
: President Trump meets China’s top trade negotiator, Vice Premier Liu He, in the Oval Office.
: Assistant Foreign Minister Zhang Jun meets US Under Secretary of State Andrea Thompson in conjunction with her visit to China for the conference of the five nuclear-weapon states, to exchange views on the international strategic security situation, cooperation among the five nuclear-weapon states, non-proliferation and other topics.
: US and Chinese officials, led by US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Chinese Vice Premier Liu He, meet in Washington DC to negotiate a trade agreement.
: Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) holds a hearing on China and Russia.
: Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Geng Shuang urges the US “to stop its unreasonable bashing on Chinese companies including Huawei and to immediately withdraw its arrest warrant for Ms. Meng Wanzhou.”
: US Justice Department formally charges Huawei and Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou with financial fraud, conspiracy, and sanctions violations.
: Two US Navy vessels, the USS McCampbell and the USNS Walter S. Diehl, sail through the Taiwan Strait. US Pacific Fleet spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Tim Gorman says, “[The vessels] conducted a routine Taiwan Strait Transit…in accordance with international law.”
: [Speaking about US-China trade negotiations] Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross states that, “we’re miles and miles from getting a resolution.”
: During a healthcare roundtable at the White House, President Trump answers a question on current trade negotiations with China saying, “China very much wants to make a deal… I like where we are right now… but as you know, fairly soon, that – the deal that I made with them will come off [by the March 1 deadline].”
: Special Representative for North Korea Policy Stephen Biegun and Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Kong Xuanyou meet in Washington to discuss North Korea.
: Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos via video, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says, “There are those who say that superpower conflict between our two countries (US-China) is inevitable. We don’t see it that way… but the course of the relationship will be determined by the principles that America stands by: free and open seas, the capacity for nations to take their goods around the world, fair and reciprocal trade agreements.”
: Trump tweets, “China posts slowest economic numbers since 1990 due to U.S. trade tensions and new policies. Makes so much sense for China to finally do a Real Deal, and stop playing around!”
: Speaking at the Global Chief of Missions conference in Washington DC, Vice President Mike Pence says that “too often in recent years China has chosen a path of disregard of the laws and norms that have kept the world safe and prosperous for more than half a century and the days of the United States looking the other way are over.”
: “We’re doing very well with China,” President Trump tells reporters at the White House. “I think that we are going to be able to do a deal with China. China wants to negotiate.”
: US Secretary of State’s Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation, Ambassador Khalilzad, arrives in Beijing on a tour that included Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India.
: Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson visits China at the invitation of Central Military Commission leadership and People’s Liberation Army Navy Commander Vice Adm. Shen Jinlong.
: Three days of working-level US-China trade talks end in Beijing.
: Trump tweets, “Talks with China are going very well!”
: Deputy US Trade Representative Jeffrey Gerrish leads a US working group to visit China for discussions with Chinese counterparts.
: US Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS McCampbell conducts a freedom of navigation operation, sailing within 12 nm of the Paracel Islands.
: Donald Trump tweets, “The United States Treasury has taken in MANY billions of dollars from the Tariffs we are charging China and other countries that have not treated us fairly. In the meantime, we are doing well in various Trade Negotiations currently going on. At some point this had to be done!”
: Trump tweets, “Michael Pillsbury interviewed by @cvpayne: ‘They have the motive of making the President look bad – instead of President Trump being portrayed as a HERO. The first President to take China on, it’s 20 years overdue….’”
: US State Department issues a warning to US citizens traveling in China, renewing the call to exercise increased caution due to arbitrary enforcement of local laws and noting extra security checks and increased police presence in Xinjiang and Tibet.
: President Xi Jinping writes in a letter to the White House that as the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties approaches, US-China relations are “at a vital stage” and “that history has proved cooperation is the best choice for both sides.”