Trump and Xi to reach trade war ‘truce’ at G20, says Hong Kong scholar with close ties to Beijing
- Leaders likely to reach ‘framework agreement’ in Argentina, Lawrence Lau says
- Impact of trade war on China ‘manageable’ for Beijing even if there are job losses, academic says
US President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping are likely to agree to a truce in the trade war when they meet in Buenos Aires this week, but ironing out the details of where the two countries go next could take some time, according to a Hong Kong scholar with close ties to Beijing.
“The truce will probably come in the manner of a framework agreement … on basic principals with the details to be worked out in the future,” Lawrence J. Lau, an economics professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) and former member of China’s top political advisory body, said in an interview on Friday.
“I don’t think there will be enough time to work out the details and I really don’t think Trump is a detail person,” said Lau, whose book, China-US Trade War and Their Future Economic Relations, is expected to be published next month.
The Post reported last week that Trump and Xi were set to discuss ways to end their trade hostilities over dinner in the Argentine capital on Saturday after the G20 forum.
The US president said last week he was ready for the talks. “I have been preparing for it all my life. I know every ingredient, every stat. I know it better than everybody knows it. My gut is always right,” he said.
