China’s vice foreign minister, Liu Zhenmin, said at climate talks in Morocco that China couldn’t have invented climate change. “If you look at the history of climate change negotiations, actually it was initiated by the IPCC with the support of the Republicans during the Reagan and senior Bush administration during the late 1980s,” he stated.
Chinese government subsidies are playing a larger role in the country’s business operations, which could lead to trade tensions with Donald Trump once he takes office. “Almost 14 percent of listed, nonfinancial companies’ profits are attributable to government support, according to an analysis by Wind Info. That’s up from just under 5 percent six years ago. Even among private firms, many of which have state shareholders, 11 percent of profits come from the state.”
Zhong Jiye, founder of the company behind the high-tech commodes, said he was unfamiliar with Donald Trump when he came up with the English name of his firm, Shenzhen Trump Industrial Company. As many as 17 of the 46 trademarks registered with the Trump name in China may not be owned by Trump himself, according to information on file with the country’s trademark office.
Top China news for November 14, 2016. Get this daily digest delivered to your inbox by signing up at supchina.com/subscribe.
"There’s an asymmetry here that Mr. Trump seems unaware of. Apple can’t build an iPhone without China, but China can build hundreds of millions of devices approaching the iPhone’s quality without Apple’s help," writes Vlad Savov, responding to an editorial published in the Communist Party mouthpiece Global Times.
"During the call, the leaders established a clear sense of mutual respect for one another, and President-elect Trump stated that he believes the two leaders will have one of the strongest relationships for both countries moving forward," said a statement from Trump's transition team.
"There’s a great deal to be worried about, and yet one hopes that, as pugnacious and vindictive as Trump is, he is also proud and thin-skinned, a man intent on maintaining the veneer of a winner," writes Jiayang Fan.
"Analysts say Chinese leaders are looking for a more transactional relationship, one that doesn’t delve into human rights and stays out of geopolitics. They hope Trump, a businessman with no political experience, will offer that possibility."
Chinese companies looking to do deals in the U.S. are being advised by lawyers and bankers to take a “wait and see” approach on whether Donald Trump will create a more challenging environment for cross-border business.