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  1. Negotiations

US-China

Washington and Beijing began formal negotiations towards a bilateral investment treaty (BIT) in June 2008. A year later, the highly sensitive talks were halted until July 2013. The US is interested in getting Chinese restrictions on foreign ownership in about 100 sectors — from soybean oil and automobiles to life insurance and other financial services — lifted for US companies which want to expand their market presence there. The Chinese government is interested in getting more security for highly-scrutinised Chinese investments in the US and its massive holdings of US sovereign debt ($1.3 trillion).

In late 2013, China agreed to initiate talks on a possible BIT with the European Union as well.

July 2014

Trade war: China to travel to US on January 13 to sign phase one deal
6-Jan-2020 South China Morning Post
China’s trade delegation tentatively plans to travel to Washington for four days from January 13 for the signing of the phase one deal.
USTR’s ag negotiator shares more on trade deal with China
6-Jan-2020 AgWeek
The agreement will not only increase Chinese purchases of US agricultural products but pave the way for long-term structural reforms.
Phase two of US-China trade deal will be more challenging and less transparent than phase one
3-Jan-2020 The Hill
The hard part of the trade dispute will cover long-standing issues relating to intellectual property violations and forced technology transfer by China, as well as subsidization of Chinese industries.
Trump says US and China will sign trade deal in January
2-Jan-2020 New York Times
President Trump said that the ceremony would be held at the White House on January 15 and that he would go to Beijing to continue discussions about a Phase 2 deal.
Struggling Missouri farmers question ’bonanza’ promised under trade deal with China
18-Dec-2019 HPPR
Some farmers are skeptical with a tentative agreement easing trade restrictions with China, who’ve been pummeled by the trade war.
Factbox: What is actually in the US-China ’Phase One’ trade deal?
17-Dec-2019 Reuters
Neither side has released many specific details of the agreement, which the United States says is 86 pages.
The US-China trade deal phase two – digital trade, intellectual property, cyber intrusions, and a bilateral investment treaty
17-Dec-2019 China Briefing
The phase two agreement is to be digitally focused and could include a US-China bilateral trade agreement.
US settles on outline of elusive China trade deal
13-Dec-2019 New York Times
The United States has settled on final terms of a partial trade deal with China, several people familiar with the negotiations said.
Mexico offers compromise to end impasse with US over new Nafta
4-Dec-2019 Bloomberg
Mexico is willing to allow panels with US and Mexican judges to resolve labor disputes at specific factories but rejected requests to allow international inspectors to enter Mexican factories.
US, China move closer to trade deal despite harsh rhetoric
4-Dec-2019 Bloomberg
The US and China are moving closer to agreeing on the amount of tariffs that would be rolled back.