The national flags of China and the United States [Photo/Xinhua]

The global economy seems to have breathed a little calmer. The international community was anxiously awaiting the signing of the first phase of a trade deal between the United States and China. Frankly, the tangle of misunderstandings and contradictions that had accumulated over the years, it would have been simply impossible and very difficult to undo without negotiation and compromise. But now the ice has broken, and supporters of the normalization of US-Chinese relations are increasingly hoping for the next stage of negotiations. The fact that Washington and Beijing have come to understand the need to find solutions in such difficult situations clearly indicates that both parties are interested in solving the problem.

The confrontation between the two powerful economies lasted about two years, or to be precise - 22 months, and it became a factor in the growth brake of the entire world economy, which is already going through hard times. Instability is always destructive. And the global economy, according to IMF estimates, lost 0.8 percent of GDP growth (or $700 billion) from the trade conflict launched by the United States.