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Trump's trade war is hurting China's economy, but it's giving Beijing an
opportunity it never dreamed of
       Linette Lopez
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   Opinion banner
          + President Donald Trump says China is desperate to end its
            trade war with the US, but while China's economy is slowing,
            policymakers aren't acting desperate.
          + There's evidence to suggest that China would rather go toe to
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       Beijing wants is far more complicated than an end to the recent
       economic hostilities. Instead, it is balancing a variety of
       interests, some more important than the trade war.
       "The Chinese are not trying to win," Leland Miller, the founder of
       Chinese business and economic survey "China Beige Book," told
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       have said that more easing on the way. But for the time being, we
       can continue to expect easing measures to be incremental steps made
       by a leadership carefully weighing and watching the trade war — not
       the actions of a desperate government on the verge of bending a
       knee to its strategic rival.
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       China has also ignored US ire over its "Made in China 2025," a plan
       to build up China's tech sector using methods US officials have
       said violate the aims of the trade war — methods that allow more
       state control of China's economy and encourage more
       intellectual-property theft. While China stopped using the phrase
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Holding back the hawks
       So if the trade war's effect on China's slowing economy is not the
       most existential threat to China, what is?
       For that, look to the issues Trump is ignoring, such as Hong Kong
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       Capital Research, said. "One, on economic issues, Trump can be
       bribed, and, two, on human rights, he leaves them alone."
       So, to Beijing, trade war considered, things could be a lot worse.
   This is an opinion column. The thoughts expressed are those of the
       author(s).