ZTE is just the first of a list of trade demands that China gave to Trump

That’s according to a Washington Post opinion piece today by Josh Rogin, who writes that after a White House delegation visited China last month, the Chinese drafted a list of trade and economic demands for the U.S. One of them asked the U.S. to ease a trade ban on the telecommunications gear and handset company ZTE, which had pretty much put the Chinese company out of business. The demand list was thought to be a discussion guide for the next round of meetings between the U.S. and Chinese delegations, but The Great Negotiator surprised everybody (especially those in the State Department) by agreeing to the ZTE favor in a weekend tweet.

President Xi of China, and I, are working together to give massive Chinese phone company, ZTE, a way to get back into business, fast. Too many jobs in China lost. Commerce Department has been instructed to get it done!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 13, 2018

Suddenly all that campaign rhetoric about the Chinese being out to get the U.S.–using technology–has given way to great concern for the preservation of Chinese jobs. Here are the other demands on the list from the Chinese, according to Rogin:

• The United States commits to eliminating the sanctions imposed after China’s crackdown on protesters in Tiananmen Square in 1989.
• The United States relaxes export restrictions on technology such as integrated circuits.
• The United States allows U.S. government agencies to purchase and use Chinese information technology products and services.
• The United States agrees to treat Chinese investment and investors equally to those from other countries and place no restrictions on Chinese investment.
• The United States agrees to ensure Chinese businesses can participate in U.S. infrastructure projects.
• The United States agrees to strengthen protection of Chinese intellectual property. (Seriously!)
• The United States agrees to drop its anti-dumping cases against China at the World Trade Organization.
• The United States agrees to terminate its investigations into Chinese intellectual property theft and not impose any of the sanctions Trump already announced.