Trade deal: A temporary respite for Xi as Trump looks at impeachment

China is well aware that major hurdles remain, a sentiment reflected in coverage of the deal by state-run media outlets that played down the deal while noting that it might stabilize the economy

For Chinese President Xi Jinping, the phase-one trade deal with U.S. President Donald Trump isn’t exactly a reason to pop open the champagne.

After months of arduous negotiations, false starts and dashed hopes, the agreement announced on Friday night helps steady a relationship in free-fall. While that’s important for Xi, who has faced rumblings of discontent as the economy grows at the slowest pace in almost three decades and protests in Hong Kong rage with no end in sight, it’s at best a temporary respite.

The deal did nothing to address the swathe of industrial policies that have driven frustrations