Both sides need to learn from past failures, agree on a mandate and appoint officials with the clout to push decisions

By: Wendy Cutler

Wendy Cutler is senior vice-president of the Asia Society Policy Institute and former acting deputy US Trade Representative.

Published: 8:30pm, 25 May 2026 South China Morning Post

High on the list of deliverables agreed following the summit between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump was the establishment of a board of trade, albeit with little detail on its mission, responsibilities or operations. The White House expects the board “to manage bilateral trade across non-sensitive goods” while China’s Ministry of Commerce says the board “will discuss issues such as tariff reductions”. While not contradictory, both formulations are vague and hint at bumps down the road.

Click to read complete article: SCMP