APEC Trade Envoys Meet in Suzhou as China’s $1.2 Trillion Surplus Fuels Tension
Updated
Updated · Reuters · May 22
APEC Trade Envoys Meet in Suzhou as China’s $1.2 Trillion Surplus Fuels Tension
7 articles · Updated · Reuters · May 22
Trade representatives from APEC’s 21 members opened a two-day meeting in Suzhou focused on trade imbalances, supply-chain resilience, digital trade and AI readiness.
China’s nearly $1.2 trillion record trade surplus has sharpened scrutiny, with G7 finance ministers days earlier calling current imbalances unsustainable and U.S. officials pressing for stronger defenses against cheap Chinese imports.
APEC Business Advisory Council chair Li Fanrong urged governments to pause new trade restrictions, warning further curbs would deepen uncertainty for business confidence, jobs and living standards.
Japan’s Ryosei Akazawa attended as the most senior Japanese official to visit China since a November diplomatic rift that led Beijing to curb travel and some rare-earth shipments.
With China's rare earth leverage looming, are the new US-China trade deals a genuine partnership or just a temporary truce?
Beyond jets and soybeans, what does the fragile truce over critical minerals reveal about the true US-China balance of power?