Taiwan, Cyber, South China Sea Can’t Derail Trade Talks

President Donald Trump’s administration has announced, to some skepticism, initial progress on a trade deal with China. While it’s true that most of the details must be worked out, it seems that cooler heads are prevailing for now, and the world’s two largest economies are avoiding a mutually disastrous decoupling.

But looming over these negotiations are three significant geopolitical disputes between the US and China that could make reaching a lasting deal and maintaining economic stability difficult. They are the status of Taiwan; ongoing cyberattacks by both sides; and Chinese territorial claims over the South China Sea.