How the US-China trade war may be good for Beijing

The opening salvos of the trade war between the US and China were deafening, and while the battle is far from over, a rift between the countries may be beneficial to Beijing in the long term, experts say. Donald Trump, the US President, fired the first warning earlier this year by taxing key Chinese exports including solar panels, steel and aluminium. The most significant escalation rolled in this week with new tariffs affecting $200 billion (£150 billion) worth of items, effectively taxing half of all goods coming into the US from China. Beijing has retaliated each time in kind, most recently slapping tariffs of five to ten per cent on $60 billion of American goods. China has pledged to match the US shot-for-shot, and the world’s second largest economy is unlikely to blink anytime soon. Getting Washington to back down means caving into demands, but publicly bowing to the US would be far too embarrassing for Xi Jinping, China’s president. Still, experts say if Beijing can play its cards right, US trade war pressures could positively support China over the long term by lowering the inter-dependence of the two economies. “The fact that a quick political decision in either Washington or Beijing could create the conditions that start an economic tailspin in either country is actually a lot more dangerous than onlookers have acknowledged before,” said Abigail Grace, a research associate who focuses on Asia at the Center for New American Security, a think tank. Ambrose: China - US trade war “From both Trump and Xi, you’ve seen a willingness to engage in more head-to-head economic warfare, and that increases risk overall… that degree of leverage for either is not particularly helpful or productive.” For instance, the US implemented in April a seven-year ban on exports to Chinese telecom firm ZTE after learning it didn’t abide by a previous settlement agreement for violating trade sanctions. ZTE announced weeks after it planned to “cease major operating activities” because of financial consequences from the ban. Trump later tweeted he was working with Mr Xi to get ZTE back on its feet; the ban was lifted. That a Chinese company could be tanked by one decision indicates an unhealthy level of interdependence, Ms Grace said. Along those lines, she said it would be equally disastrous for the US if China started blocking shipments for items manufactured in the country crucial to American supply chains like parts for Apple's iPhone. Donald Trump's trade war is all about containing rampant China Thus the trade war could “force China to build a more vertically integrated supply chain within the country,” said Damien Ma, an economist and associate director at the Paulson Institute, a think tank. Doing so would allow China control from beginning to end, whether assembling widgets or dealing with more advanced technologies. “That’s a great outcome for China.” This is not lost on Mr Xi. “Internationally, it’s becoming more and more difficult [for China] to obtain advanced technologies and key know-how,” he said this week. “Unilateralism and trade protectionism are rising, forcing us to adopt a self-reliant approach; this is not a bad thing.” To properly do this, however, China needs to move away from supporting its wasteful, inefficient state-owned enterprises and support the private sector, said Nicholas Lardy, a China specialist and senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics.   While that’s easier said than done, Beijing has long known it would have to allow economic growth to mature away from manufacturing and exports and toward services sectors. In perspective | Emerging markets This could lead to more jobs created that are a better fit than factory gigs for China’s increasingly savvy middle class and growing numbers of university graduates, Ms Grace said. Plus, as Mr Trump continues to bellow and bully other nations, China may even be seen as “more politically stable,” Mr Ma said. One potential impact of that, he thinks, is the yuan becoming favored over the dollar as the reliable currency of choice for investments and transactions. China has long wanted to boost the role of its currency on the global stage. A report released this week by the European Central Bank that simulated the impact of the trade war echoed similar sentiments. It suggested the US would suffer from the brunt of diminished trade and deteriorating business and consumer confidence, whereas China could supplement lost trade with the US by selling to other countries. China is “giving a real, clear alternative - a choice,” Mr Ma said. “Before, even if you didn’t like the US, there wasn’t much of a choice, but China - even if you don’t like them that much … they are increasingly saying, we are a legitimate choice; we do offer things that you want and need”.

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Parkland Dad Fred Guttenberg Reminds Kavanaugh His Life Is 'Not Ruined'

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Airline now says 1 missing after Pacific lagoon plane crash

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — The airline operating a flight that crashed into a Pacific lagoon in Micronesia on Friday now says one man is missing, after earlier saying all 47 passengers and crew had safely evacuated the sinking plane.

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Canada MPs vote to strip Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi of honorary citizenship

Canadian legislators have voted unanimously to strip Myanmar civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi of her honorary citizenship – granted over a decade ago – in response to alleged atrocities committed against the Rohingya minority in her country. “In 2007, the House of Commons granted Aung San Suu Kyi the status of honorary Canadian citizen,” said Foreign Ministry spokesman Adam Austen. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters on Wednesday that he was open to stripping Ms Suu Kyi of the honour, while noting that doing so would not end the crisis in Myanmar.

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Russia begins missile system delivery to Syria, warns West on peace talks

Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu had said on Monday the system would be delivered to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces in two weeks despite strong Israeli and United States objections. A week previously, Moscow had accused Israel of indirectly causing the downing of a Russian military jet in Syria. "The delivery started already and as President (Vladimir)Putin said, after that incident ... the measures that we will take will be devoted to ensuring 100 percent safety and security of our men," Lavrov told a news conference at the United Nations.

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Kavanaugh Friend Mark Judge Says He'll Cooperate With FBI If Investigation Opens

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CBS subpoenaed by Manhattan district attorney on Moonves

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Standing By Kavanaugh, Republicans Subscribe To Doppelganger Theory

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Sex abuse scandal: Pope seeks prayers to fight 'devil'

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Syria rebel faction rejects Idlib deal

A formerly US-backed Syrian rebel group on Saturday rejected a deal between Russia and Turkey to avert a large-scale military assault on rebel-held Idlib province. The deal makes way for a demilitarised zone between rebel and regime-held areas in and around the northwestern governorate, Syria's last insurgent bastion.

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On campus, anger, and shrugs, over Kavanaugh

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A major national sexual abuse hotline experienced a massive surge in callers

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ACLU Opposes Kavanaugh Nomination In Rare Break From Own Policy

The American Civil Liberties Union, which typically does not endorse

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Prince suddenly dies at Paisley Park from fentanyl overdose: Part 2

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Erdogan demands Germany seize 'terrorists' as state visit gets off to icy start amid street protests

Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish president, was greeted with protests and controversy in Germany on Friday as a state visit that was supposed to repair relations between the two Nato allies appeared only to highlight their stark divisions. Thousands of demonstrators marched through the streets of Berlin under a banner of “Erdogan not welcome”, while a Kurdish activist burnt himself to death in an apparent suicide protest. Angela Merkel appeared to throw Mr Erdogan a lifeline by offering him a full state visit at a time when Turkey is struggling under the weight of US economic sanctions. But there was little sign of common ground after the two held face-to-face talks. “It is important to continue the dialogue with Turkey, because we can only work out our differences by talking,” Mrs Merkel told a joint press conference. "There is much that unites us: Nato membership, the migrant issue, and the fight against terror." But she added: “There are still profound differences between us over press freedom and the rule of law.” As if to underline the point, Mr Erdogan used the press conference to demand the extradition of a prominent Turkish journalist living in self-imposed exile in Germany. A woman shows Kurdish symbols and a sticker with a portrait of Abdullah Ocalan, the jailed leader of the Kurdistan Workers' Party Credit: AP Photo/Markus Schreiber And Mrs Merkel’s words were undercut when another journalist was thrown out of the press conference for wearing a T-shirt that called for “Freedom for journalists in Turkey”. Ties between the allies have been strained by the crackdown on opponents of the regime in Turkey, and Mrs Merkel urged Mr Erdogan to free five German citizens who are being held in Turkey on what Germany maintains are “political charges”. But Mr Erdogan rebuffed the request and responded by demanding Germany do more to help Turkey in its crackdown on opponents of his regime. "I can not interfere in the German justice system or criticise them, nor can you interfere with the Turkish judiciary or criticize them,” he said. “Germany must be more determined in the fight against terror.” He claimed supporters of the militant Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and Fethullah Gülen, the cleric Turkey alleges was behind a failed coup in 2016, are living in Germany. The Turkish foreign ministry reportedly handed over a list of 69 people it wants Germany to extradite as he arrived. Profile | Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Earlier, there were frosty scenes as Mr Erdogan was received with full military honours. The German president, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, appeared at pains to show he was only welcoming his Turkish counterpart on sufferance, and remained stony-faced throughout. More than 200 guests refused invitations to a state banquet in Mr Erdogan’s honour, among them prominent figures from across the German political spectrum. An estimated 4,000 protestors marched through central Berlin to the Bellevue palace where the official banquet was held. The march was led by a homemade cardboard tank. One man held aloft a banner that read "No deals with the devil". But the protestors' numbers were smaller than expected, and the march was peaceful under a heavy police presence. Nevertheless, the visit was fraught from the start. The German press published pictures of Mr Erdogan appearing to give the four-fingered salute of the Muslim Brotherhood as he arrived on Thursday. Bild, Germany’s biggest-selling newspaper, described it as a “provocation against Western values and democracy”. The charred body of a 26-year-old Kurdish activist was found in Bavaria after he set himself alight. German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier (L) and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrive for a state dinner at Bellevue presidential palace Credit: ADAM BERRY/AFP/Getty Images In a video message left behind, Umit Acar reportedly said his death was a protest against Turkish military operations against Kurds in Turkey and Syria. “I chose today especially, because Erdogan is coming here,” he said. “In all the massacres that the Turks have committed against the Kurds, the Germans delivered them weapons.” The joint press conference with Mrs Merkel almost didn’t take place after Mr Erdogan threatened to boycott it if Can Dündar , a prominent former Turkish newspaper editor living in Germany, was allowed to attend. He later used the press conference to demand Mr Dündar’s extradition to Turkey. “This is our natural right,” he said, claiming Mr Dündar was a “spy” who had published “state secrets” over a report which alleged Turkish intelligence armed Islamist factions in Syria. There was no question of Germany agreeing to extradite Mr Dundar, Heiko Maas, the foreign minister, said. "I look forward to seeing more of Mr Dündar in Germany in future," he added. The only real progress appeared to be when Mrs Merkel announced a joint summit over Syria next month with Mr Erdogan, France’s Emmanel Macron and Vladimir Putin of Russia. Mr Erdogan has been pushing for such a meeting, but one name conspicupous by its absence was that of Donald Trump. The US president has taken a different approach to freeing prisoners held in Turkey, imposing economic sanctions over Mr Erdogan’s refusal to release an American pastor. Mrs Merkel made clear in the run-up to yesterday’s talks that her priority was to preserve relations between Turkey and the West amid fears the US sanctions are pushing Mr Erdogan into Russia’s embrace.

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Judiciary Committee Members Doxxed During Kavanaugh Testimony

Cellphone numbers and home addresses of Republican members of the Senate

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Brett Kavanaugh Nomination Moves Ahead Despite Sexual Assault Allegations

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Sex abuse scandal: Pope seeks prayers to fight 'devil'

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Palestinians say seven killed as Israeli troops fire on Gaza protest

Israeli soldiers shot dead seven Palestinians, including two boys, who were among people who thronged to the fortified Gaza Strip border.

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Elon Musk to resign as chair of Tesla board, fined $20 mn: SEC

Elon Musk has reached a deal over fraud charges that will see him step down as electric automaker Tesla's chairman of the board and pay a $20 million fine, US securities regulators said Saturday. Musk -- who will remain CEO of Tesla -- will be ineligible to serve as chairman of the board for a period of three years and will be replaced by an "independent chairman," while two "independent directors" will also be appointed by Tesla, the SEC said.

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California governor signs gun control bills into law

(Reuters) - California Governor Jerry Brown signed several gun control bills into law on Friday, including one measure that raises the minimum age for buying rifles and shotguns from 18 to 21. The new laws come seven months after a gunman opened fire with a semiautomatic assault-style rifle at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, killing 14 students and three adults, the second-deadliest mass shooting at a public school in U.S. history. The rampage, which authorities say was carried out by a former student who was 19, has spurred unprecedented activism by victims and their families to prevent future gun violence and demanding stricter gun control across the United States.

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Yankees Pitcher CC Sabathia Gets Ejected, Loses $500,000 Bonus

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In extraordinary maneuver, Jeff Flake halts Brett Kavanaugh's march to Supreme Court

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Christine Blasey Ford Would Have Been Called ‘Hysterical’ If She Acted Like Kavanaugh: Pelosi

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Airline Searching for Missing Man After Saying All 47 Passengers Survived Plane Crash

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Plane ditches into Pacific lagoon

The Air Niugini Boeing 737-800 was attempting to land at Weno airport in Micronesia but ended up half submerged in Chuuk lagoon after the accident on Friday morning. The airline said the plane, which was involved in a collision with another aircraft earlier this year, had "landed short of the runway". Remarkably, it reported no serious injuries among those on the plane, which was making a scheduled stop on its way from the Micronesian capital Pohnpei to Port Moresby.

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Kavanaugh Friend Mark Judge Says He'll Cooperate With FBI If Investigation Opens

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The F-22 Is Nearly Unstoppable (But the Air Force Has Too Few of Them)

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Judiciary Committee Members Doxxed During Kavanaugh Testimony

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North Korea says 'no way' it will disarm without trust in US

North Korea's foreign minister on Saturday told the United Nations there was "no way" that his country would disarm first as long as the United States continued to push for tough enforcement of sanctions against Pyongyang. Addressing the United Nations General Assembly, Ri Yong Ho accused Washington of creating a deadlock in talks on denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.

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Airline now says 1 missing after Pacific lagoon plane crash

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — The airline operating a flight that crashed into a Pacific lagoon in Micronesia on Friday now says one man is missing, after earlier saying all 47 passengers and crew had safely evacuated the sinking plane.

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Lavrov notes Trump blamed China, not Russia, for U.S. election meddling

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov took pleasure in pointing out on Friday that U.S. President Donald Trump this week accused China, not Russia, of interfering in U.S. elections. Trump on Wednesday accused the Chinese government of seeking to influence the Nov. 6 U.S. congressional elections against his Republican Party. China has denied the allegation.

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Brett Kavanaugh Said Blasey’s Friend 'Refuted' Her Testimony. She Didn't.

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Iraq 'regrets' US closure of Basra consulate

Iraq's foreign ministry voiced "regret" on Saturday over a US decision to shut its consulate in the southern city of Basra which has been rocked by weeks of deadly protests. "The ministry regrets the American decision to pull its staff out of Basra," a statement said. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo ordered all but emergency staff to leave Basra, with consular duties to be taken over by the embassy in Baghdad.

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White House Puts Limits On FBI's Kavanaugh Investigation: Reports

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Seven Palestinians killed in new border clashes: Gaza ministry

Seven Palestinians, including two boys aged 12 and 14, were killed in clashes with Israeli forces along the Gaza border Friday, the health ministry in the Hamas-controlled strip said. It was the bloodiest day of border protests since May 14, when more than 60 Palestinians died in violence accompanying the inauguration of the US embassy in Jerusalem, a move that enraged Palestinians.

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'Boofing' and 'ralphing' and other doubts about Kavanaugh's testimony

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Over 380 Dead After Earthquakes Cause Devastating Tsunami in Indonesia

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Democrats In Congress Can Sue Trump Over Constitution's Emoluments Clause: Judge

A federal judge ruled on Friday that 200 congressional Democrats have the

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First F-35 fighter jet crash: Mystery fault forces pilot to eject over South Carolina

A US military fighter jet sent smoke billowing into the sky after it suffered the first crash in the aircraft’s operational history. The pilot, who was the only person on board the Lockheed Martin F-35B, was being examined for injuries on Friday after safely ejecting. The reason for the crash near the Marine Corps Air Station in Beaufort, South Carolina, is said to be under investigation.

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Pope defrocks Chilean priest at center of abuse scandal

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On campus, anger, and shrugs, over Kavanaugh

At Kent State in Ohio, some students watched Christine Blasey Ford in the Kavanaugh hearing with anguish or disgust, while others tried not to think about it.

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Chris Cuomo, Don Lemon Mock Loopy Lindsey Graham: 'He's Got The Vapors!'

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