Will latest trade ‘speed bump’ slow China-US ties, or even stop Xi-Trump summit?

As Beijing and Washington trade curbs, analysts say only major action or breach of the other’s core interests can prevent summit3-MIN READ3-MIN2ListenPublished: 10:00pm, 6 Aug 2026Beijing and Washington’s latest tit-for-tat measures could test ties, but observers say they are little more than a “speed bump” on the road to a potential summit between presidents Xi Jinping and Donald Trump.China’s Ministry of Commerce sanctioned seven US entities and tightened export controls on drones and related technologies on Wednesday, citing the need to “safeguard national security”.The ministry separately launched a national security investigation into imported printing and copying office equipment with foreign-made software.US bans imports of new Chinese robots and power inverters in latest tech crackdownThe measures are a response to Washington’s move last week to add 43 Chinese companies to its Uygur Forced Labour Prevention Act entity list. In the same week, the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) also banned the import and sale of new foreign-made robotic devices and power inverters, sectors in which China is a global leader.