Intro

In the latest episode of the Trivium China podcast, Trivium Co-founders Andrew Polk and Trey McArver discuss this week’s phone call between Xi Jinping and Donald Trump that appears to have gotten trade talks back on track, for now. 

The two discuss:

• The developments and misperceptions from both sides that almost derailed the Geneva truce over the past three weeks
• What we know about the Xi-Trump call, and what needs to happen next to keep things on track
• China’s perspective on its rare earth export controls – and how the slow-moving approval process is upending global manufacturing
• Potential paths forward to a lasting agreement around US-China trade
• The EU perspective on all this – and how US-China negotiations may leave Europe out in the cold

The upshot: US-China trade talks are currently in a much better place after the call than they were just a few days ago – but whether that will last is anyone’s guess.