WASHINGTON, D.C. (Nexstar) — Trade talks between the U.S. and China are resuming in Washington on Thursday and negotiators say they are hopeful to strike some sort of a deal before the next tariffs on Chinese imports take effect next week.
While a partial agreement is the most realistic outcome, President Trump says he won’t be satisfied with anything less than a “big deal.”
Jeff Moon, former assistant U.S. Trade Representative for China, says the only way to win is to play tough.
“If you show China you are a pushover,” says Moon. “You will be pushed over. However, just mere threats and insults are not enough. And insults are particularly counterproductive.”
Moon says the U.S. and China need to focus on mending their rocky relationship — and fast.
Next week the Trump Administration is scheduled to increase the tariff rate on $250 billion worth of Chinese imports to 30%. Another round of tariffs is also set to take effect in December.
Trump teased the trade talks Thursday morning on Twitter, saying “Big day of negotiations with China. They want to make a deal, but do I?”
Policy analyst Riley Walters, with the Heritage Foundation, says the best case scenario is a “skinny deal” — one that pauses any talks of tariffs for now.
“I do think the President is interested in a trade deal,” says Walters. “But these are still just pause in tariffs, and so what I am hoping for is that again sometime next year there is going to be a deal that removes — eventually removes all the tariffs.”
