Seminar paper from the year 2010 in the subject Economics - International Economic Relations, grade: 1,1, The University of Hong Kong, language: English, abstract: History plays a funny role in repeating itself. With light of the current trade frictions between the United States and China, their trading histories become increasingly relevant. Little did both sides know the substantial impact of President Nixon's 1972 meeting with Chairman Mao-the event laid the basis for growth and development between both countries for the next several decades: into a present where the US dominates while China has the fastest growing financial market of the Twenty-first Century. Up until recently, their trade relations have been, if not smooth, at least civil. However, the increasing number of disputes in trade and policy-making may adversely affect the development of Sino-US relations on the world market. As the international society turns their critiquing eyes towards the friction currently plaguing the US and China, the two world powers are placed in the precarious position of settling these disputes to not only decide the future of their own fragile partnership, but the ultimate direction of the world trading scene.