Chances ‘pretty good’ that Donald Trump and Xi Jinping will meet at G20 summit next month in Japan: White House aide
- White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow says ‘no concrete, definite plans yet’ for future negotiations
- China says no one should expect it ‘to swallow bitter fruit that harms its core interests’
US President Donald Trump and China’s Xi Jinping could meet next month on the sidelines of the G20 summit to hash out their differences on trade, but no new talks are scheduled, White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow said on Sunday.
The world’s top two economies ended two days of negotiations in Washington on Friday with no deal. While making it clear that the US was unwilling to settle, Kudlow sought to tamp down concerns, insisting the process was ongoing.
“We need to see something much clearer and until we do, we have to keep our tariffs on,” Kudlow said in an interview on Fox News Sunday, adding: “We can’t accept any backtracking.”
As for future negotiations, while there are “no concrete, definite plans yet,” Kudlow said China had invited Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer to Beijing – and higher-level discussions could be on the cards.
The chances of Trump and Xi meeting during the Group of 20 summit in Japan in late June “are probably pretty good,” the top White House aide said.