President Donald Trump projected an optimistic outcome for the US-China trade dispute, saying “I think we’re going to be fine,” while simultaneously arguing he was “forced” into the “not sustainable” tariff policy.
This complex narrative was laid out ahead of a confirmed meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in two weeks. Trump praised his personal relationship with Xi, saying “I get along great with him.”
However, the president also remains wary. “China is always looking for an edge,” he remarked. “I don’t know what’s going to happen. We’ll see what happens.”
The talks are critical as a 90-day truce, which has paused duties as high as 145%, is set to expire on November 10. The APEC summit in South Korea is the likely venue for these high-stakes negotiations.
Trump’s core demand is a “fair deal.” He defended the current trade war, despite its unsustainability, as essential. “If we didn’t have tariffs, we would be exposed as being a nothing,” he said.
