U.S. and Chinese trade negotiators are meeting in Beijing this week to begin high-stake talks to avert a bigger trade war before a March 2 deadline announced by President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping after a recent meeting in Argentina. The task of redefining the U.S.-China trade relationship in a way that benefits the U.S. rests largely with U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, a longtime China hawk and Trump's chief U.S. trade negotiator.
Before he does that, "Lighthizer will need to keep a mercurial president from wavering in the face of queasy financial markets, which have suffered their steepest annual decline since 2008," The New York Times reports. "Trump is increasingly eager to reach a deal that will help calm the markets, which he views as a political electrocardiogram of his presidency." On Saturday, after speaking to Xi on the phone, Trump cheered investors by tweeting that the "deal is moving along very well."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Pet cloning booms in ChinaUnder The Radar As Chinese pet ownership surges, more people are paying to replicate their beloved dead cat or dog
-
Tesla Cybertrucks recalled over dislodging panelsSpeed Read Almost every Cybertruck in the US has been recalled over a stainless steel panel that could fall off
-
Why are stocks in 'correction' and not a bear market?Today's Big Question Investors still hope for a 'flip' in Trump's trade policies
-
Trump's tariffs: is EU's retaliation the best move?Today's Big Question Global US levy on steel and aluminium imports has the EU hitting back but the UK keeping options open
-
Crafting emporium Joann is going out of businessSpeed Read The 82-year-old fabric and crafts store will be closing all 800 of its stores
-
What are reciprocal tariffs and how do they work?The Explainer And will they fix America's trade deficit?
-
Trade wars, explainedThe Explainer Free trade is almost always good for any economy – so why is it so unpopular?
-
Trump's China tariffs start after Canada, Mexico pausesSpeed Read The president paused his tariffs on America's closest neighbors after speaking to their leaders, but his import tax on Chinese goods has taken effect
