BEIJING -- China is taking throngs of high-tech companies under its wing to prepare for a protracted standoff with the U.S. despite calls from Washington to step back from the business sector.
The two countries signed a "phase one" trade deal Wednesday, but deferred thorny topics like intellectual property protections and Chinese state subsidies for a second round of negotiations expected to start soon. The nationalization of high-tech companies could become a potential roadblock in the so-called phase two talks.
