US and China tariff tensions continue to dominate the focus, with signs of deescalation mounting even as President Trump sent mixed signals on the state of relations. On Monday, it was reported that Asian economies like South Korea,

As I repeatedly said, I believe that it’s up to China to de-escalate, because they sell five times more to us than we sell to them,” Bessent said Monday morning on CNBC. So

The view that the Chinese leadership was desperate to negotiate a trade deal, to avoid economic pain that could destabilize Chinese society and threaten the Chinese Communist Party’s monopoly on power, is common among China hawks in the United States. This analysis is partly accurate, but it has led many to draw false conclusions.