BFF-03 Trump briefed in Florida on ‘productive’ China trade talks

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Trump briefed in Florida on ‘productive’ China trade talks

WASHINGTON, Feb 17, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – US President Donald Trump said
Saturday he was briefed at his Florida resort by negotiators working to reach
a trade deal with Beijing after their return from “very productive” meetings
with Chinese officials.

“Trade negotiators have just returned from China where the meetings on
Trade were very productive. Now at meetings with me at Mar-a-Lago giving the
details,” the president tweeted.

He also reiterated his assertion that current tariffs “are being paid to
the United States by China,” when in fact they are paid by US companies and
ultimately by American consumers in the form of higher prices.

Senior officials completed two days of high-stakes talks in Beijing on
Friday as they try to avert the US threat to more than double tariffs on $200
billion in Chinese goods, which would be an unwelcome shock to the world’s
second largest economy as it already has shown signs of slowing.

American officials accuse Beijing of seeking global industrial predominance
through an array of unfair trade practices, including the “theft” of American
intellectual property and massive state intervention in commodities markets.

Since a December detente, China has resumed purchases of some US soybeans
and dangled massive buying of American commodities to get US trade
negotiators closer to a deal.

Talks have included discussion of purchases to reduce the “large and
persistent bilateral trade deficit,” the White House has said.

But many China experts say Beijing’s Communist Party rulers are unlikely to
make significant changes to industrial policies without a long and tough
fight.

BSS/AFP/MSY/0818 hrs