Trump Says He Doesn't Know if He Wants China Deal
President Donald Trump, who will be meeting with China's president in Argentina, told reporters as he departed Nov. 29, "I think we’re very close to doing something with China, but I don’t know that I want to do it. Because…
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what we have right now is billions and billions of dollars coming into the United States in the form of tariffs or taxes. So I really don’t know. But I will tell you that I think China wants to make a deal. I’m open to making a deal. But frankly I like the deal that we have right now." A Nov. 29 report from The Wall Street Journal said that Trump is considering pausing the tariff escalation through the spring as the two countries talk about structural changes to China's economic policy. But Trump just told the Journal four days ago that it was very unlikely he'd pause the increase in tariffs on the third tranche of Chinese imports. Currently, they're at 10 percent, and are scheduled to increase to 25 percent Jan. 1, 2019. The Journal noted in its report about the possible detente that the administration is wary of being stalled by China, as has happened with many previous administrations who complained about China's abuses.