US-China Tech Competition Makes Trade Deal Unlikely, Experts Say, Citing Huawei

U.S.-China technology competition and Trump administration restrictions on Huawei likely dashed prospects of a phase two trade deal, China experts said. Robert Dohner, of Atlantic Council and former Treasury Department official, called the deal “dead,” adding the U.S. approach to protecting technology damaged future negotiations. “I think the technology policies, particularly the pursuit of Huawei, have made it impossible now to go back and negotiate with China on technology policy or domestic industrial policy,” Dohner told a council webinar Tuesday. Leland Miller, a Chinese economy expert with the Atlantic Council, said the administration needs to reassess how it wants to approach Huawei and needs to better follow through on threats. Companies are trying to determine what they can “get away with,” said Dexter Roberts, also of the council. “All the restrictions in the world are going to be very, very hard to implement as long as Huawei is providing fast, cheap chips and cheap telecom gear that countries around the world want.” The White House declined to comment Thursday. The office of U.S. Trade Representative didn't comment.