WTO and examines the recent increase in U

Last November, on the eve of the first official visit of Barack Obama in China, many Western observers had thought they could rent the emergence of a "G2" Linking Beijing and Washington in a peaceful dialogue on major international issues. Since then, the relationship between China and the United States is considerably strained and the meeting today between the American President and the Dalai Lama should still foment bilateral frictions between the first and third world economic power. A major deterioration in relations, however, seems unlikely.

The case of Tibet

Despite the warnings of the Chinese authorities, the US President will speak today in the White House map room, and not in the very symbolic Oval Office, with the Tibetan spiritual leader. If it says see the Dalai Lama a "figure religious and cultural respected around the world", Barack Obama has never associated political objective to meet him and has always recognized the sovereignty of China in the Tibet Autonomous Region. This attempt of appeasement does not satisfy Beijing, which continues to describe the religious leader as a "Wolf" activist for the independence of Tibet. Accustomed to aggressiveness of these postures of the Communist regime, analysts do not predict that Sino-American tensions worsen further on this issue.

Google and censorship

In the dispute between the Communist power to Google, which said last month that he would now refuse to censor the results of his research on the local site, administration Obama rather expressed solidarity with the Californian company. Hillary Clinton, Secretary of State, also provoked the ire of Beijing by arguing, end of January, a free Internet. Beyond these comments, Washington seems however not decided to engage an arm of the railway on the freedom of information with Beijing.

Sales of weapons to Taiwan

Validation in early February by the White House for the sale of weapons to the Taiwanese Government $ 6.4 billion was strongly denounced by Beijing, which refuses any foreign assistance to the independent island, which he regards as a breakaway territory. Traditionally critical of these arms sales, China power, bolstered by the strength of its economic power, has, this time, significantly enhanced the tone and even dared to threaten retaliation companies involved in the American contracts. However, it seems unlikely that Beijing dare taking a giant such as Boeing. A campaign against the US group would reduce the bargaining power of the country with Airbus, because on the transfer of technology agreements, whistled all of foreign investors and would trigger protectionist actions in the United States.

Commercial litigation and the yuan

Since last fall, the United States have multiplied increases in tariffs on Chinese products. Beijing has filed actions against American practices before the World Trade Organization. WTO and examines the recent increase in U.S. taxes on Chinese tyres at this time, but the two countries are also in dispute over steel, poultry or raw materials. These conflicts, which may multiply with the approach of mid-term elections in the United States Congress (November), speakers in a virulent debate about the value of the yuan. Industrials and US officials continue to accuse Beijing of maintaining the value of its currency artificially low to boost exports of goods "made in China". They require a more immediate reassessment of 10 of the Chinese currency, but faced the rationale of Chinese officials, who say did not want to jeopardize the health of their growth.

Audio interview of Yann Rousseau lesechos.fr/interlesechos.fr/inter