Opinion | Why China still has the upper hand in US trade talks

In recent years, the only products China really needed from the US were chips. Now it seems even that ship has sailed Reading Time:3 minutes Why you can trust SCMP Published: 5:30am, 14 Oct 2025 Beijing stole a page from Washington's playbook last month by effectively instituting its own chip ban, with Chinese companies now discouraged from purchasing Nvidia's AI chips. The bold, calculated move has surely rattled Trump administration officials, with their assumptions about China needing American technology. Advertisement Indeed, the move suggests US President Donald Trump has little leverage. His desperation was on full display last Friday, with…