China's Tactic of Delay: Navigating Trade Talks with the Trump Administration

If Chinese President Xi Jinping were to author a book titled 'The Art of Negotiating with Trump,' it would likely emphasize exploiting the American president's vulnerabilities to apply maximum pressure while using the resulting time to reinforce China's own stance.

This approach appears to be Beijing's chosen path since U.S. President Donald Trump raised tariffs on Chinese goods in April, aiming to encourage China to import more American products and reduce its exports. Rather than yielding, China has relied on its strongest leverage—control over critical minerals essential to the United States—while steering discussions toward extended talks rather than concrete outcomes.

Experts note that recent meetings, including those in London and Geneva, have kept the U.S. entangled in negotiations over vague procedural steps—such as establishing a 'framework' for future talks in London. This tactic enables China to sidestep more contentious disputes, including Washington's accusations that Beijing unfairly subsidizes industries, floods foreign markets with its products, and restricts foreign companies' operations within China.

"China seems quite comfortable with this cycle of economic skirmishes with the United States, followed by diplomatic episodes that essentially restore the previous status quo," said Jonathan Czin, a former CIA analyst and current member of the Brookings Institution specializing in Chinese policy.

"This cat-and-mouse game prevents the U.S. from making any meaningful progress in addressing its underlying concerns about China's unfair non-trade policies," Czin added.