US-China disputes: Major issues of contention

Let’s read in detail the major issues of contention the two countries are at loggerheads.

Even as the race for the 59th US Presidential election is in full swing, President Trump’s anti-China posture and action have also intensified. President Trump’s attack on China has invoked a new dimension of the economic “America First” nationalism, for which an aggressive China- challenging American global leadership- has been the main target. Let’s read in detail the major issues of contention the two countries are at loggerheads.

On Coronavirus

US President Donald Trump described as Coronavirus as a “Chinese virus” and accused China of being behind the spread of virus. On many occasions, he said China must be “held accountable” for failing to contain the infection.China- Foreign ministry spokesman responded by suggesting the US army might have brought the epidemic to Wuhan

Vaccine hacking

Federal Bureau of Investigation warned that Chinese-backed hackers were attempting to steal research, intellectual property relating to Covid-19

Two Chinese nationals indicted in US, for alleged hacking of hundreds of firms globally

Trade war

Weary of big trade deficit with China, US declared a trade war in 2018

US, China engaged in tit-for-tat punitive duties on hundreds of billions of dollars of bilateral trade

The two countries signed an initial trade accord in Jan 2020, but Trump said in July he did not plan to proceed to second phase

South China Sea

In early July, Defense department criticised Chinese military exercises around the Paracel Islands in South China Sea (several countries have claims on islands there)

US aircraft carriers carried out drills to “support a free and open Indo-Pacific”China has since said it conducted “high-intensity” naval exercises in the region

Nuclear talks

US has demanded that China take part in talks on a successor to the New START treaty.

China rejected the invitation to join the arms control talks with Russia

Hong Kong, Taiwan

Ended preferential trade treatment for Hong Kong

Restricted visas for Chinese officials seen as infringing on HK’s autonomy, stopped export of sensitive technologies

US announced in Aug its highest-level visit to Taiwan, since Washington switched diplomatic recognition to China in 1979

China imposed sweeping new national security law on Hong Kong in late June

China urged “US to abide by the one- China principle” and cancel Taiwan trip

Uighur persecution

US said that more than 1 million ethnic Uighurs or Turkic-speaking minority in China’s Xinjiang region have been rounded up in internment camps

US froze assets, imposed visa bans on some officials from Xinjiang, 11 firms placed on black list

China claimed that the facilities are vocational education centres

North Korea

China is at odds with the US over North Korea, even though they both want the country to give up its nuclear weapons. Washington has accused China of breaching UN sanctions on North Korea, assertions Beijing has denied. China wants to lift some sanctions, but the US disagrees.

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