With polls showing Democrats regaining control of at least one chamber of Congress in November’s mid-term elections some in Beijing may, rightly or wrongly, see a chance to take advantage of Trump’s growing weakness at home.
Deadlocked Talks
The U.S. and China are talking past each other and efforts to mediate are going nowhere.
Even as Trump was expressing his continuing affection for Xi on Monday his aides were making their frustration with Beijing clear.
In a call with reporters, two senior administration officials complained that China had retaliated to U.S. tariffs rather than bent to Washington’s demands.
Officials in Beijing, meanwhile, grumble to visitors that a third or more of U.S. demands are unrealistic, such as the calling for dismantling key areas of Xi’s “Made in China 2025’’ policy to lead the world in areas such as artificial intelligence.
They may have a point. Some American observers have started calling the demands the Trump administration presented in May the “surrender or die” document.
The moves also come as Beijing has been trying to reach out to potential intermediaries in the U.S. business community to try and convince Trump to talk. But those efforts are going nowhere.
A week ago the news was that Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin had invited Chinese officials to meet again. A week later the news is that Trump is again trying to back Xi into a corner.
This article was provided by Bloomberg News.