Chronologies
US - China
Chronology from May 2018 to Aug 2018
: In a letter to Secretary of State Pompeo and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, Sen. Marco Rubio and 16 other members of Congress from both parties call for sanctions on seven Chinese officials and two businesses related to camps in Xinjiang.
: President Trump tweets, “STATEMENT FROM THE WHITE HOUSE President Donald J. Trump feels strongly that North Korea is under tremendous pressure from China because of our major trade disputes with the Chinese Government. At the same time, we also know that China is providing North Korea with…” “… considerable aid, including money, fuel, fertilizer and various other commodities. This is not helpful! Nonetheless, the President believes that his relationship with Kim Jong Un is a very good and warm one, and there is no reason at this time to be spending large amounts…” “…of money on joint U.S.-South Korea war games. Besides, the President can instantly start the joint exercises again with South Korea, and Japan, if he so chooses. If he does, they will be far bigger than ever before. As for the U.S.–China trade disputes, and other…” “… differences, they will be resolved in time by President Trump and China’s great President Xi Jinping. Their relationship and bond remain very strong.”
: President Trump tweets, “Report just out: “China hacked Hillary Clinton’s private Email Server.” Are they sure it wasn’t Russia (just kidding!)? What are the odds that the FBI and DOJ are right on top of this? Actually, a very big story. Much classified information!”
: US Commerce Department announces a preliminary determination that imports of certain steel wheels from China were subsidized at rates ranging from 58.75 percent to 172.51 percent, and that it would impose duties on the product.
: President Trump tells reporters he is rejecting overtures from China to negotiate. “They want to talk,” Trump said. But “it’s just not the right time to talk right now, to be honest.”
: President Trump tweets, “…Secretary Pompeo looks forward to going to North Korea in the near future, most likely after our Trading relationship with China is resolved. In the meantime I would like to send my warmest regards and respect to Chairman Kim. I look forward to seeing him soon!”
: President Trump tweets, “…Additionally, because of our much tougher Trading stance with China, I do not believe they are helping with the process of denuclearization as they once were (despite the UN Sanctions which are in place)…”
: China files complaint with the World Trade Organization against US tariffs on $16 billion worth of Chinese goods under the Section 301 investigation, according to the Ministry of Commerce.
: US and China levy 25 percent duties on an additional $16 billion of each other’s imports.
: US Treasury Undersecretary David Malpass meets Chinese delegation led by Vice Commerce Minister Wang Shouwen in Washington, DC to discuss bilateral trade issues.
: President Trump tweets, “It is outrageous that Poisonous Synthetic Heroin Fentanyl comes pouring into the U.S. Postal System from China. We can, and must, END THIS NOW! The Senate should pass the STOP ACT – and firmly STOP this poison from killing our children and destroying our country. No more delay!”
: President Trump tweets, “All of the fools that are so focused on looking only at Russia should start also looking in another direction, China. But in the end, if we are smart, tough and well prepared, we will get along with everyone!”
: US Department of Defense releases Annual Report to Congress, titled, “Military and Security Developments involving the People’s Republic of China.”
: Department of the Treasury sanctions Chinese firm Dalian Sun Moon Star International Logistics Trading Co., Ltd. and its Singapore-based affiliate, SINSMS Pte. Ltd. for illegal exports of alcohol, tobacco, and cigarette-related products to North Korea.
: At the signing ceremony for the FY 2019 National Defense Authorization Act, President Trump states, “China even launched a new military division to oversee its warfighting programs in space. Just like the air, the land, the sea, space has become a warfighting domain. It is not enough to merely have an American presence in space. We must have American dominance in space.”
: US Navy P-8A Poseidon reconnaissance plane flies over the Spratly Islands and receives six radio warnings from the Chinese military to “Leave immediately and keep out to avoid any misunderstanding.”
: President Trump tweets, “As long as I campaign and/or support Senate and House candidates (within reason), they will win! I LOVE the people, & they certainly seem to like the job I’m doing. If I find the time, in between China, Iran, the Economy and much more, which I must, we will have a giant Red Wave!”
: President Trump tweets, “….China, which is for the first time doing poorly against us, is spending a fortune on ads and P.R. trying to convince and scare our politicians to fight me on Tariffs- because they are really hurting their economy. Likewise other countries. We are Winning, but must be strong!”
: President Trump tweets, “Tariffs are working far better than anyone ever anticipated. China market has dropped 27% in last 4months, and they are talking to us. Our market is stronger than ever, and will go up dramatically when these horrible Trade Deals are successfully renegotiated.”
: US Department of the Treasury announces sanctions on Chinese-owned Dandong Zhongsheng Industry & Trade Co, along with Russian-owned Agrosoyuz Commercial Bank, Ltd., for handling transactions for North Korea and violating UN sanctions.
: Secretary of State Pompeo and Foreign Minister Wang Yi meet on the sidelines of the ASEAN Regional Forum in Singapore.
: China says it will impose new tariffs on $60 billion worth of imports from the US, including aircraft and liquefied natural gas, in response to Trump’s threat to raise US tariffs on Chinese goods on $200 billion worth of Chinese exports to 25 percent.
: At a political rally in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, President Trump states, “Pennsylvania lost 300,000 manufacturing jobs and China joined the WTO. Right now, China is not too happy with me. But I have great respect for President Xi and I have great respect for China. It’s not their fault that our leaders were stupid.”
: President Trump directs US Trade Representative Lighthizer to consider increasing the proposed tariff level on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods from 10 percent to 25 percent.
: Congress passes legislation authorizing $716 billion in total defense spending for the coming fiscal year. It includes provisions aimed at countering Chinese activities in the South China Sea, its illicit pursuit of cutting-edge US technology, and the spread of Communist Party propaganda at American institutions.
: US Department of Commerce Bureau of Industry and Security publishes a Federal Register notice, adding 44 Chinese companies to the “Entity List” of the Export Administration Regulations over concerns about US national security.
: At the PLA’s 91st anniversary reception in Washington, DC, Chinese Ambassador to the US Cui Tiankai states, “[US-China] competition should be healthy and positive, aiming to improve ourselves, not to replace the other side.”
: Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment Ellen Lord states that the Pentagon has created a “do not buy” list of software products from certain Chinese and Russian companies.
: Report by US National Counterintelligence and Security Center states that “China continues to steal intellectual property and trade secrets from U.S. companies for its own economic advancement and the development of its military but ‘at lower volumes’ since the two countries forged an agreement in 2015.”
: Congressional-Executive Commission on China holds a hearing titled, “Surveillance, Suppression, and Mass Detention: Xinjiang’s Human Rights Crisis.”
: Foreign Ministry spokesperson in response to Trump’s tweet that China’s tariffs target US farmers, states, “The current situation is entirely caused by the US side by pursuing unilateralism and trade protectionism and insisting on provoking trade wars against China.”
: President Trump tweets: “China is targeting our farmers, who they know I love & respect, as a way of getting me to continue allowing them to take advantage of the U.S. They are being vicious in what will be their failed attempt. We were being nice – until now! China made $517 Billion on us last year.”
: Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy holds a hearing titled, “The China Challenge, Part 1: Economic Coercion as Statecraft.”
: At the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado, Michael Collins, deputy assistant director of the CIA’s East Asia Mission Center, says that China seeks to replace the US as the dominant global power and is waging a Cold War.
: President Trump tweets, “China, the European Union and others have been manipulating their currencies and interest rates lower, while the U.S. is raising rates while the dollars gets stronger and stronger with each passing day – taking away our big competitive edge. As usual, not a level playing field…”
: Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan and Ambassador to the US Cui meet in Washington, DC, to discuss bilateral and regional issues.
: Chinese Ambassador to the US Cui Tiankai publishes an article in USA Today, entitled “Trade War Against China is Unjustified.”
: US House of Representatives Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence holds a hearing titled, “China’s Threat to American Government and Private Sector Research and Innovation Leadership.”
: Director General of the Department of Treaty and Law of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Xu Hong and Department of State Legal Advisor Jennifer Gillian Newstead conduct the Annual Consultation to discuss the Belt and Road Initiative, the United Nations, maritime law, the international cyberspace law, humanitarian law, and the law on consular relations.
: At the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado, FBI Director Christopher Wray remarks, “I think China, from a counterintelligence perspective, represents the broadest, most challenging, most significant threat we face as a country.”
: Director of the National Economic Council Larry Kudlow, in remarks about a proposed US-China trade deal, states, “I don’t think President Xi at the moment has any intention of following through on the discussions we made, and I think [Trump] is so dissatisfied with China on these so-called talks that he is keeping the pressure on, and I support that.”
: United States launches a case against China, as well as four other cases against the EU, Canada, Turkey, and Mexico, formally challenging tariffs that those countries imposed on more than $20 billion worth of US exports in retaliation for US duties on China’s steel and aluminum exports to the US.
: In an interview with Reuters in Johannesburg, OPIC CEO Ray Washburne warns that China’s Belt and Road strategy is creating a debt trap for many poor nations.
: US Department of Commerce lifts a ban that prevented US companies from selling goods to Chinese telecommunications manufacturer ZTE Corporation.
: US House of Representatives passes the Matthew Young Pollard Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Years 2018 and 2019 (H.R. 6237), a bill that requires intelligence personnel to brief Congress if an “adversary foreign government,” including China, attempts to meddle in US federal elections.
: US House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific and the Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation and Trade hold a joint hearing titled, “China’s Predatory Trade and Investment Strategy.”
: US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer states in a press release that “As a result of China’s retaliation and failure to change its practices, the President has ordered USTR to begin the process of imposing tariffs of 10 percent on an additional $200 billion of Chinese imports.”
: President Trump tweets “I have confidence that Kim Jong Un will honor the contract we signed &, even more importantly, our handshake. We agreed to the denuclearization of North Korea. China, on the other hand, may be exerting negative pressure on a deal because of our posture on Chinese Trade-Hope Not!”
: Two US Navy warships, the USS Mustin and USS Benfold guided-missile destroyers, sail through the Taiwan Strait.
: Chinese Ministry of Commerce spokesperson issues a press release stating that “[China] will impose tariffs with the same size and force and all the trade and economic achievements reached by the two sides [China and the US] will be invalid at the same time.”
: US Department of Commerce announces an affirmative preliminary anti-dumping duty determination on imports of sodium gluconate and gluconic acid from China.
: Secretary of State Pompeo makes a phone call to Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi to discuss denuclearization in North Korea.
: Secretary of Defense Mattis visits Beijing and meets separately with President Xi, Defense Minister Gen. Wei Fenghe, Central Military Commission Vice Chairman General Xu Qiliang, and State Councilor Yang Jiechi.
: Ministry of Commerce spokesperson Gao Feng, in a regular press briefing in Beijing, remarks that the US has been “capricious” and is responsible for provoking a trade war. He states, “The US is accustomed to holding ‘big sticks’ for negotiations, but this approach does not apply to China.”
: Secretary of State Pompeo criticizes China’s economic expansion in his remarks at the Detroit Economic Club, calling China’s push for globalization a “joke.”
: Secretary of Defense Mattis compares China’s “One Belt, One Road” to the Ming Dynasty in his remarks at the US Naval War College commencement, stating that China is “demanding other nations become tribute states, kowtowing to Beijing” and “attempting to replicate on the international stage their authoritarian domestic model.”
: China’s Ministry of Commerce announces that China will impose tariffs on $34 billion of US goods, including soybeans and other agricultural products.
: Trump administration announces plans to impose a 25 percent tariff on $50 billion worth of Chinese goods that are considered “industrially significant technologies” in response to concerns about US intellectual property rights.
: Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson has a video teleconference (VTC) with Vice Adm. Shen Jinlong, People’s Liberation Army (Navy) Commander. They exchange views on Navy-to-Navy and bilateral military relations.
: Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress Wang Chen visits the US. He discusses US-China ties with congressional members, including Speaker of the House Paul Ryan and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi.
: US Department of Commerce launches an investigation into steel propane tank imports from China to determine whether China illegally dumps the tanks in US markets and if Chinese tank producers receive unfair state subsidies.
: Secretary of Commerce Ross announces a $1.4 billion settlement with ZTE Corporation, which also requires ZTE to undergo monitoring by the US Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security.
: President Trump tweets “Farmers have not been doing well for 15 years. Mexico, Canada, China and others have treated them unfairly. By the time I finish trade talks, that will change. Big trade barriers against U.S. farmers, and other businesses, will finally be broken. Massive trade deficits no longer!”
: Secretary of State Pompeo releases annual remarks commemorating the 29th Anniversary of Tiananmen Square, urging China to make a “full public accounting” of the demonstrators killed.
: Secretary of Commerce Ross meets Vice Premier Liu He in Beijing to discuss China’s willingness to buy US exports. The meeting follows US threats of raised tariffs toward exports from China.
: Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis criticizes China’s militarization in the South China Sea and accuses China of “intimidation and coercion” in his remarks at the plenary session of the 2018 Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore.
: Two US Navy destroyers, the USS Higgins and the USS Antietam, conduct a freedom of navigation operation (FONOP) near Tree, Lincoln, Triton, and Woody Islands in the Paracels.
: House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Europe, Eurasia, and Emerging Threats holds a hearing on “Chinese Investment and Influence in Europe.”
: Secretary of State Pompeo and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi meet and discuss cooperation on North Korea, the militarization of the South China Sea, and US-China bilateral relations and trade.
: In response to China’s continued militarization of islands in the South China Sea, the Pentagon disinvites the PLA Navy from the 2018 Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise.
: United States launches a national security investigation under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 on whether vehicle and parts imports threaten the US industry’s health and ability to research and develop new advanced technologies.
: President Trump tweets “Our Trade Deal with China is moving along nicely, but in the end we will probably have to use a different structure in that this will be too hard to get done and to verify results after completion.”
: President Trump puts blame on Xi Jinping for the delay or cancellation of his summit with Kim Jong Un, saying “I will say I’m a little disappointed, because when Kim Jong Un had the meeting with President Xi in China . . . I think there was a little change in attitude from Kim Jong Un. So I don’t like that.”
: Senate Banking Committee approves an amendment with a 23-2 vote that would block President Trump from easing sanctions on ZTE without first certifying to Congress the company is complying with US law.
: President Trump tweets “Under our potential deal with China, they will purchase from our Great American Farmers practically as much as our Farmers can produce.”
: President Trump tweets “China must continue to be strong & tight on the Border of North Korea until a deal is made. The word is that recently the Border has become much more porous and more has been filtering in. I want this to happen, and North Korea to be VERY successful, but only after signing!”
: President Trump tweets “On China, Barriers and Tariffs to come down for first time.”
: President Trump tweets “China has agreed to buy massive amounts of ADDITIONAL Farm/Agricultural Products – would be one of the best things to happen to our farmers in many years!”
: President Trump tweets “I ask Senator Chuck Schumer, why didn’t President Obama & the Democrats do something about Trade with China, including Theft of Intellectual Property etc.? They did NOTHING! With that being said, Chuck & I have long agreed on this issue! Fair Trade, plus, with China will happen!”
: China ends its anti-dumping investigation into US imports of sorghum, calling it an act of goodwill.
: House Intelligence Committee holds a hearing on “China’s Worldwide Military Expansion.”
: President Trump tweets “The Washington Post and CNN have typically written false stories about our trade negotiations with China. Nothing has happened with ZTE except as it pertains to the larger trade deal. Our country has been losing hundreds of billions of dollars a year with China…We have not seen China’s demands yet, which should be few in that previous U.S. Administrations have done so poorly in negotiating. China has seen our demands. There has been no folding as the media would love people to believe, the meetings…haven’t even started yet! The U.S. has very little to give, because it has given so much over the years. China has much to give!”
: President Trump tweets “Trade negotiations are continuing with China. They have been making hundreds of billions of dollars a year from the U.S., for many years. Stay tuned!”
: Chinese trade delegation led by Chinese Vice Premier Liu He visits Washington for consultations with US counterparts. He meets President Trump.
: President Trump tweets “ZTE, the large Chinese phone company, buys a big percentage of individual parts from US companies. This is also reflective of the larger trade deal we are negotiating with China and my personal relationship with President Xi.”
: Acting Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Susan Thornton visits Beijing for bilateral consultations with Chinese officials.
: President Trump asks Commerce Secretary Ross to revisit US restrictions placed on Chinese company ZTE, calling the limits “an issue of high concern for China.”
: President Trump tweets “China and the United States are working well together on trade, but past negotiations have been so one sided in favor of China, for so many years, that it is hard for them to make a deal that benefits both countries. But be cool, it will all work out!”
: President Trump tweets “President Xi of China, and I, are working together to give massive Chinese phone company, ZTE, a way to get back into business, fast. Too many jobs in China lost. Commerce Department has been instructed to get it done!”
: President Trump talks by phone with President Xi to discuss recent developments on the Korean Peninsula and Xi’s meeting with Kim Jong Un.
: President Trump tweets “I will be speaking to my friend, President Xi of China, this morning at 8:30. The primary topics will be Trade, where good things will happen, and North Korea, where relationships and trust are building.”
: In a statement, the US press secretary criticizes China’s demand that foreign air carriers change the way they refer to “Taiwan,” “Hong Kong,” and “Macao” on their websites, calling it “Orwellian nonsense.”
: State Councilor Yang Jiechi talks by phone with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and discusses bilateral US-China trade relations.
: In a conference call to reporters, Deputy Assistant Defense Secretary for South and Southeast Asia Joe Felter states concern regarding “China’s predatory economic activities” in the Indian Ocean and insists their activities are not “consistent with the interests of those individual states.”
: President Trump tweets “Our high level delegation is on the way back from China where they had long meetings with Chinese leaders and business representatives. We will be meeting tomorrow to determine the results, but it is hard for China in that they have become very spoiled with U.S. trade wins!”
: A delegation of senior US economic advisers travels to Beijing and meets President Xi Jinping and Vice President Wang Qishan.
: The Pentagon files a complaint and claims that two US pilots had been injured by Chinese military-grade laser pointers at the US base in Djibouti.
: President Trump tweets “Our great financial team is in China trying to negotiate a level playing field on trade! I look forward to being with President Xi in the not too distant future. We will always have a good (great) relationship!”