Illustration: GT

US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said on Thursday that the biggest challenge to reaching a trade deal is trust. However, it is exactly because of the US internal political disputes that China and the US lack mutual trust. The US position on a trade deal has been changing because Washington has taken into account the political needs and pressure from the US Congress.

The impeachment inquiry against US President Donald Trump entered a critical phase this week. US bipartisan politics has fallen into fierce confrontation. As the 2020 US presidential election approaches, such confrontation may become increasingly intense. If the situation does not ease, China-US relations will definitely be affected in the foreseeable future.

The two parties' disputes have seriously weighed on China-US economic and trade negotiations. The impeachment inquiry may not have a major impact on Trump's strongholds, but it is bound to deepen the rift between the two parties and make it more difficult for them to reach a compromise on other issues, adding more unstable factors to China-US trade negotiations.

Trump has repeatedly broken the consensus reached between China and the US, and has tried to accuse China of hindering trade negotiations. Such policy changes are largely due to US domestic political pressure. How can we trust such chaotic and inconsistent US policies?

Trump said on December 3 that a China-US trade deal could wait until after the 2020 president election, adding that "in some ways it's better to wait." But waiting may not benefit the US. By the time of the election, the two parties' political contest will be more intense and the US policies may be less stable. China and the US may further lose their mutual trust.

The impeachment inquiry will bring greater pressure on Trump and affect his candidacy in 2020. But if Trump can reach a trade deal with China before the election, even if it is a limited deal, it will be an achievement for Trump to brag about. This is also in line with Trump's personal interests. If Trump fails to narrow the widening gap between the two parties and fails to be more consistent in policies, the situation will only be less favorable for the US.

But whatever the situation, China will firmly follow its own path. After a protracted trade war, China has realized that doing its own things well and developing its own economy is top priority. The annual Central Economic Work Conference will be held in mid-December, when China will analyze its economic development in 2020.

China still has many tasks, and the US internal politics will not affect China's own schedule. China aims at building a moderately prosperous society in all respects in 2020 and fully eliminating absolute poverty by 2020. These are the Communist Party of China's promises to the 1.4 billion Chinese people, and nothing can stop China from fulfilling the promises. Indeed, China is being confronted with challenges. But if there is no trade deal to help China deal with the challenges, China will also overcome the difficulties and reach its goals.