Washington, D.C. — As President Donald Trump prepares to visit Beijing for his second summit meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, a new column from the Center for American Progress says the upcoming meeting will provide an opportunity to assess how serious the Trump administration really is about tackling U.S.-China trade and investment problems.
Trump needs to make clear that rebalancing the U.S.-China commercial relationship is a top priority; that his administration has a comprehensive plan for protecting U.S. economic interests; and that China will face consequences if Beijing does not quickly address key U.S. complaints, the column says.
Trump’s performance will be judged on three issues:
- Will the U.S. ratchet up the pressure on China to change a trade strategy that creates barriers for U.S. goods and offers subsidies to Chinese firms that undercut American competitors?
- Will narrow commercial deals be the focus, or will the summit produce concrete Chinese commitments for policy change?
- Will the U.S. continue using a go-it-alone strategy or start working together with like-minded nations also concerned about China’s unfair trade practices?
The column urges Americans to look beyond the pomp and circumstance of the event to determine whether the United States has really gained anything substantive from the summit.
Read the column: “Can Trump Deliver on Economic Issues with China?” by Melanie Hart
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