Blame games, threats of retaliation, incessant meetings between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, and sharp tariff fluctuations seem to be the order of the day lately.
However, according to former government officials and analysts, this is not a surprise: it is simply the price one pays when diplomatic norms are flouted.
Trump's salvos followed Beijing's decision a day earlier to expand export controls on strategic rare earth minerals and related technologies.
These in turn were triggered by Washington's decision late last month to expand sanctions against companies that are at least half-owned by blacklisted companies, on national security grounds.
This is what happens when there is a lack of clear communication. Both sides misinterpreted the other, said Zack Cooper, a researcher at the conservative American Enterprise Institute.