At the start of the year, after nearly two years of tension and increased tariffs, the United States and China had signed a partial trade agreement. But the coronavirus crisis seems to be the occasion of a new turning point: Washington suspects Beijing of being at the origin of the pandemic and Donald Trump even evokes the idea of ​​punitive customs duties. A threat yet difficult to implement a few months before the presidential election in the United States, according to François-Xavier Chauchat, economist at Dorval Asset Management. For him, "a relaunch of the trade war would be very risky before the November elections because we are in a period where the American and world economy, on the contrary, needs to revive". 

If the threat of a new trade war seems to be averted in the short term, investors remain cautious. Because despite the economic recovery that promises to be global, there is great fear of the politicization of the crisis. "We must admit that the tensions between the White House and China are part of the risk scenarios that moderate investor appetite in the medium term. And this risk scenario is the politicization of the crisis. (…) C "This is what today affects the enthusiasm of investors," said François-Xavier Chauchat.

The France 24 week summary invites you to come back to the news that marked the week

I subscribe

Take international news everywhere with you! Download the France 24 app

google-play-badge_FR