In today’s world, relations between the United States and China is perhaps the most consequential of all bilateral ties. They are both economic superpowers. Their geopolitical footprints cover almost the whole planet. Naturally, the trade war between the two has affected economies around the world – troubling markets, disrupting supply chains, bringing more uncertainty than businesses are comfortable with. But an understanding reached between them also carries upsides and downsides for different nations.

In this context, how do we understand the agreement that came out of the Trump-Xi meeting in South Korea? What are the concerns on the American and Chinese side going forward? And how do we understand Trump, and then Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, referring to the meeting as a coming together of ‘G-2’ – a term that suggests the idea of an exclusive club with common interests?

Guests: Max Baucus, a former US Senator who served as Ambassador to China, and James Chau, President of the China-United States Exchange Foundation (CUSEF), based in Hong Kong.

Host: G Sampath

Edited by Jude Francis Weston

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