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Confusion Over U.S.-China Trade ‘Truce’ Overshadows Busy Week of Travel for Xi

Confusion Over U.S.-China Trade ‘Truce’ Overshadows Busy Week of Travel for Xi
China’s President Xi Jinping and Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa, right, after the signing of agreements between the two countries at the Queluz National Palace in Queluz, outside Lisbon, Dec. 5, 2018 (AP photo by Armando Franca).

Editor’s Note: Every Wednesday, WPR Newsletter and Engagement Editor Benjamin Wilhelm curates the week’s top news and expert analysis on China.

Saturday night’s dinner between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Buenos Aires, led to a 90-day trade truce and plenty of uncertainty for observers, stock traders and even Trump administration officials.

No joint statement was released after the meeting, and there was little overlap in the separate readouts given by both sides. Subsequent comments from U.S. officials and Trump himself have only generated more confusion, while Beijing has mostly stayed quiet since Saturday night. The White House said the two sides have 90 days to reach a deal or the U.S. would raise tariff rates on $250 billion of Chinese imports, from 10 to 25 percent. But an early Chinese statement made no mention of this deadline.

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