A Vulnerable China Comes to the Table

Over the weekend, top negotiators from the U.S. and China met for the first time since President Trump rapidly escalated a trade war between the world’s two economic superpowers.

Keith Bradsher, the Beijing bureau chief for The New York Times, discusses the pressures facing China, as it came to the negotiating table and why it so badly needs a deal.

Guest: Keith Bradsher (https://www.nytimes.com/by/keith-bradsher) , the Beijing bureau chief for The New York Times

Background reading: 

• The U.S. said ‘substantial progress (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/11/business/us-china-tariffs.html) ’ had been made in trade talks with China.

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily (http://nytimes.com/thedaily?smid=pc-thedaily) . Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. 

Photo: Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

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