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U.S.-China Trade War Timeline: What’s Happened Since May 2019

U.S.-China Trade War Timeline: What’s Happened Since May 2019

(Bloomberg) --

More than a year into the trade war between the U.S. and China, negotiators are still working toward a deal to defuse the tensions.

Here are the events we expect to happen in the coming months, plus a timeline of what has happened since May, in reverse chronological order:

DateJoint actionU.S. actionChinese action
12/15/2019Second batch of new U.S. tariffs to begin.Chinese retaliation to start.
11/28/2019China said it would

retaliate against the U.S. bill on Hong Kong, but didn’t specify how.

11/27/2019U.S. President Donald Trump signed legislation expressing U.S.

support for Hong Kong protesters

11/26/2019
Trump said that a deal with China was in the “final throes” but also that he was holding it up to ensure better terms for the U.S.
11/26/2019Chinese and American negotiators talked and “reached consensus on properly resolving relevant issues” and agreed to stay in contact on the remaining points for the phase one deal.
11/24/2019China said it will raise penalties on intellectual property violations.
11/22/2019Trump said a trade deal with China was “potentially very close” but it “can’t be like an even deal” because the U.S. is “starting off from the floor” and China is “already at the ceiling.”
11/22/2019President Xi Jinping said China wants to work for a phase one trade deal on the “basis of mutual respect and equality.”
11/22/2019China authorized imports from 172 U.S. chicken processing plants after lifting ban.
11/22/2019U.S government banned phone carriers from using federal subsidies to purchase equipment from Huawei Technologies Co.and ZTE Corp.
11/21/2019U.S. congress sent bill on Hong Kong to Trump to sign into law.
11/20/2019China’s head trade negotiator Liu He said he’s “cautiously optimistic” about getting a phase one deal.
11/19/2019U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said that it would be difficult for the U.S. to sign a trade agreement with China if demonstrations in Hong Kong are met with violence.
11/18/2019U.S. announced it’s extending for another 90 days a limited set of exemptions that lets some American companies continue doing business with Huawei Technologies Co.
11/16/2019Two sides held “constructive” discussions by phone. Later reported by Dow Jones that Liu invited U.S. counterparts to visit Beijing on the call.
11/14/2019Trump’s economic advisory Larry Kudlow said the deal was “coming down to the short strokes” and both sides were talking every day.
11/14/2019
Two sides in thorough talks on phase one deal, China’s commerce ministry said.
11/8/2019Trump said he hadn’t agreed to rollback any tariffs.
11/8/2019President Trump’s trade adviser Peter Navarro said U.S. is willing to postpone Dec. 15 tariffs on China as part of phase one trade deal.
11/7/2019Two sides have “agreed to remove the additional tariffs in phases as progress is made on the agreement,” says the Ministry of Commerce.
Kudlow confirmed the advance in negotiations: “If there’s a phase one trade deal, there are going to be tariff agreements and concessions.”
11/7/2019China sentenced 9 people to various prison terms after a joint investigation with the U.S. into fentanyl trafficking.
11/4/2019Premier Li Keqiang met U.S. officials in Bangkok. Li later said two sides need to meet each other half-way.
11/4/2019Taiwanese chipmaker TSMC said it will continue to supply Huawei, after

Taiwan’s government denied a report that Washington asked it to stop the company selling to the Chinese firm.

11/3/2019A phase one trade deal would be signed in the U.S, Trump says.
10/30/2019U.S. Department of Interior announced it will stop flying all non-essential Chinese-made drones in its inventory.
10/30/2019Chile cancels APEC meeting at which Presidents Xi and Trump had been expected to sign phase one deal.
10/25/2019Two sides make some headway in a phone-call, USTR says.
10/24/2019Vice President Mike Pence

criticized China’s actions against protesters in Hong Kong while calling for greater engagement between the two nations.

10/23/2019Chinese companies bought U.S. soy beans after receiving tariff waivers.
10/16/2019U.S. said Chinese diplomats in the U.S. must notify the government before scheduling some meetings.
10/15/2019China said it will accelerate purchases of U.S. farm goods and announced how much it has bought.
10/13/2019A U.S. congressman said a congressional delegation was denied visas to China due to their planned visit to Taiwan.
10/11/2019Two sides agreed on the outline of a partial trade deal and the U.S. said it would suspend tariffs scheduled to start Oct. 15.
10/10-11/2019High-level negotiations in Washington, with a partial deal and a currency pact apparently on the table.
10/8/2019U.S. restricts visas for Chinese officials it says are linked to abuses against minority Muslim groups in China.
10/7/2019U.S. places eight Chinese tech companies and other organizations on a blacklist, accusing them of involvement in human rights violations in China.China says it will respond.
10/4/2019A tweet by a U.S. basketball executive sparks criticism and boycotts in China. The subsequent apology then generates criticism in the U.S. that the NBA was caving in on a question of human rights.
9/25/2019U.S. sanctioned Chinese shipping companies for transporting Iranian oil.
9/24/2019President Donald Trump criticizes Chinese economic policies at the United Nations.
9/24/2019China’s government gives tariff waivers for soybeans, allowing domestic companies to start buying.
9/19-20-2019Lower-level officials held “constructive” meeting in Washington. A visit to Montana and Nebraska for the Chinese officials was cancelled at the last minute.
9/11/2019U.S. postpones imposition of some tariffs by two weeks to Oct. 15.
9/5/2019Vice Premier Liu He has call with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer. They agree to meet in early October.
9/1/2019New U.S. tariffs begin.Chinese tariffs begin.
8/27/2019China said it’s still unaware of the calls President Donald Trump claimed happened over the weekend.
8/26/2019Trump said China wants to make a deal “very badly.” He earlier said that China had called and said “let’s get back to the table.” He also calls President Xi Jinping a “great leader.”China’s foreign ministry didn’t confirm that call happened. Vice Premier Liu earlier called for calm.
8/26/2019U.S. senators told government pension fund to reverse an impending shift in investment that they said would fund China state-owned companies.
8/25/2019Trump said he has regrets on China tariffs. A spokesman later says he meant that he regrets not raising them higher.
8/24/2019Trump tweeted he can use emergency powers in fight with China.
8/23/2019Trump tweeted that Xi could be an “enemy” and raised tariffs on China. He also tweeted an order that U.S. companies should start looking to get out of China.
8/23/2019China responded to earlier U.S. tariff hike with its own higher tariffs.
8/23/2019China said U.S. is using fentanyl feud as a weapon in the trade war.
8/23/2019China urged U.S. to cancel planned arms sale to Taiwan.
8/21/2019Trump said he is the “chosen one” to wage a trade war with China and asserted that he’s winning. He later tweeted that he was joking.
8/19/2019U.S. extended for 90 days a limited set of exemptions for companies in the U.S. to continue buying from Huawei Technologies Co., but also added more than 40 Huawei affiliates to a trade blacklist.
8/15/2019State Council Tariff Committee said China is forced to retaliate on new U.S. tariffs, without specifying what the nation would do.
8/14/2019The U.S. added four Chinese nuclear entities to a trade blacklist.
8/13/2019The U.S. split tariffs on $300 billion of Chinese products into two categories. Some will be hit with higher tariffs from Sept. 1 and the rest from Dec. 15.
8/13/2019Chinese Vice Premier Liu talked with U.S. Trade Representative Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Mnuchin by phone. Agreed to hold another call in two weeks.
8/6/2019Ministry of Commerce said Chinese companies halted U.S. agricultural purchases
8/5/2019The U.S. labeled China a currency manipulator.
8/5/2019The yuan slid past 7 per dollar for the first time since 2008.
8/2/2019Mofcom statement said China will have to take necessary counter-measures against U.S. tariff hikes.
8/1/2019Trump tweeted that the U.S. will put an additional 10% tariff on $300 billion in imports from China.
8/1/2019U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeomet with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.China said Chinese companies had purchased U.S. agricultural products and had been inquiring about prices since July 19.
7/31/2019Shanghai talks ended with the two sides agreeing to meet again in early Sept. in Washington.U.S. characterized the talks as constructive.
7/30/2019Two sides met for dinner in Shanghai before talks begin.As the dinner started, Trump tweeted about what he said is China’s unwillingness to buy American agricultural products and said it continues to “rip off” the U.S.
7/24/2019China accused the U.S. of undermining global stability in the first defense white paper since 2015.
7/23/2019FBI Director Christopher Wray told senators that China is engaging in a sweeping effort to steal its way to economic dominance.
7/23/2019China said U.S. should remove its “black hands” from Hong Kong protests.
7/18/2019Trade negotiators had phone call.
7/16/2019Trump said he can boost tariffs on China any time he wants.
7/9/2019U.S. said Huawei is still on export blacklist but U.S. companies can apply for a waiver to deal with the firm.
7/9/2019Trade negotiators held first phone call since truce.
7/8/2019U.S. State Department approved $2.2 billion arms sale to Taiwan.
7/4/2019China continued stressing that the U.S. must remove all the tariffs as a condition for reaching a trade deal.
28-29/06/2019Presidents Xi and Trump met at G-20 summit, agreed on tariff truce.
6/18/2019Xi and Trump talked over phone.
6/9/2019Mnuchin and People’s Bank of China Governor Yi Gangmet at G-20 in Japan.
6/1/2019Chinese tariffs on $60 billion of imports start being applied.
Late in MayU.S tariffs on $200 billion begin. The tariffs apply to goods shipped on or after May 10.
5/15/2019U.S. restricted Huawei from selling in the U.S., and puts company on blacklist.
5/13/2019Lighthizer announced details of further tariffs on rest of imports from China.
5/13/2019Trump tweeted, telling Xi to make a deal and threatening worse if China retaliates.China announced details of retaliation, to begin June 1.
5/12/2019Trump tweeted that U.S. is right where it wants to be with China.
5/10/2019Liu told reporters the two sides are divided on three main issues - when U.S. tariffs will end, how much China will buy, and how to ensure the “dignity” of both sides.
5/10/2019Two sides hold further talks.U.S. increased additional tariffs on $200 billion of Chinese goods to 25% from 10%.Ministry of Commerce said in a statement that China is forced to retaliate, but also said it would like to resolve issues through cooperation and negotiations.
5/9/2019Liu, Lighthizer and Mnuchin held talks and a working dinner.Trump said in Washington that a deal was still possible this week, and he may hold a phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping.Liu said China wanted to resolve differences with U.S. and “we think there is hope” upon arriving in Washington.
5/9/2019Mofcom spokesman rejected U.S. claims that China has reneged on already-agreed parts of the trade deal with the U.S.
5/8/2019Trump said China “broke the deal” and “they will be paying.”
5/6/2019Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman said Chinese negotiators are preparing to travel to the U.S. for talks after reports said they may cancel or delay trip.
5/5/2019Trump said he will increase tariffs on $200 billion of Chinese goods to 25% from 10% on May 10 in a series of tweets, as talks are too slow.
5/01/2019Discussions with China remain focused toward making substantial progress on structural issues, and Liu is going to go to Washington for talks starting on May 8, Trump’s spokeswoman said in statement.China and the U.S. will continue high-level talks in Washington next week as planned, state-run Xinhua News Agency reported.
5/01/2019Mnuchin tweeted that Lighthizer and he concluded productive meetings with Liu.


Click here to read what happened in Jan.-April 2019.

To contact Bloomberg News staff for this story: Miao Han in Beijing at mhan22@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Jeffrey Black at jblack25@bloomberg.net, James Mayger

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With assistance from Bloomberg