Scroll to the top

{{ subpage.title }}

US-China relations all-time low; federal troops in Portland; Biden's pick
US-China Relations Low; Fed. Troops in Portland; Biden's Pick | US Politics In :60 | GZERO Media

US-China relations all-time low; federal troops in Portland; Biden's pick

Jon Lieber, managing director for the United States at Eurasia Group, provides his perspective on US Politics In 60 Seconds - this week from in front of the Emancipation Memorial in Lincoln Park in Washington, D.C., which is currently behind barricades because some protesters want to tear it down.

First question, with the tit for tat escalation of closing consulates between the US and China, are US-China relations at an all-time low?

Well, they're certainly not very good. And probably the most important marker was a really tough speech given by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo at the Nixon Center in California. Perhaps important for its symbolism, that this is an end of an era of engagement that began with President Nixon in 1969. You've got a lot of escalating factors. You've got these closing embassies, accusations of espionage by the Chinese, the potential banning of TikTok. And WeChat in the US. You've got the potential banning of Huawei. And, of course, you've got the ongoing trade war and sanctions. Now, the trade war may become less important as a factor, along with the other worsening parts of this relationship. The Chinese have retaliated so far proportionately. They don't want to be seen as the ones escalating this advance of a presidential election.

Read moreShow less
Can Pompeo build a European coalition against Iran?
Can Pompeo build a European coalition against Iran?

Can Pompeo build a European coalition against Iran?

Will Pompeo manage to build a European coalition against Iran?

Well, that depends. Certainly not on the issue of the nuclear deal. The Europeans are solidly behind it. To go back on the efforts that have been undertaken over decades to take back Iran from the nuclear brink would be exceedingly foolish. And then there is a lot of worries here in town that the escalatory rhetoric from the US, and from Tehran, will increase the likelihood of the region, which is really rather combustible at the moment, stumbling into a war that no one should really want.

Who will win the Eurovision contest in Tel Aviv?

I haven't the faintest idea. But I guess that the Icelanders would get all the publicity.

World in 60 Seconds: Big Brexit Vote
World in 60 Seconds - January 15, 2018

World in 60 Seconds: Big Brexit Vote

There's a big vote in the UK today, how likely will Brexit be delayed?


It's your World in 60 Seconds!


And go deeper on topics like cybersecurity and artificial intelligence at Microsoft Today in Technology.

Subscribe to our free newsletter, GZERO Daily

Latest