Opinion | In getting to a partial trade deal with China, the Trump administration finally got three things right

Although the formal text of the US-China phase one trade agreement has yet to be released or signed, observers haven’t wasted a minute sharing their views. By far, the most controversial part has been the tariffs.

Some believe the agreement was not worth the harm and uncertainty caused by the tariffs – many of which will remain in place, at considerable cost to US businesses, workers and consumers.

Others say the escalating tariffs were instrumental in bringing the 18-month dispute to a successful partial conclusion. The tariffs certainly played a role, but three other factors were critical.

First, in the final stages of the trade talks, the United States made important compromises. Usually, to get to the finish line in a trade negotiation, each side must balance its priorities and concerns against those of the other. But this dynamic wasn’t apparent in the months following the relaunch of the talks in December last year.