United States and China have already exchanged negative list as scheduled and works are already underway to accelerate the bilateral investment trade (BIT) negotiation.

The research team at ANBOUND Consulting is of the view that the United States is using various measures including public opinion war to pressure China into making substantial concessions on aspects like finance, reform of state-owned enterprises and standard setting.

In light of the continued downward pressure on the nation's economy and the ability of some of the industries to compete remains weak, China should weigh carefully between a competition-driven reform and the need to maintain the economic stability of the society.

We are of the view that the negotiation on negative list will not be completed by this year and it is likely that the negotiation will commence again when the political situation in the United States becomes clearer; by then, China will have a larger room to maneuver its strategy.