Trump says trade talks are ‘going really well’. US and China officials ask: ‘What talks?’
Diplomatic sources say no high-level discussions to defuse the growing trade war have taken place since June
US President Donald Trump accused China of “being vicious” by targeting American farmers on Wednesday morning amid escalating trade tensions, but insisted that negotiations with Beijing were “going really well” – despite recent public statements by his top advisers that talks had broken down.
In postings on Twitter, Trump indicated that he’s still looking for a deal with China, but that Beijing’s retaliatory moves in response to Washington’s decision to impose tariffs on US$34 billion of Chinese imports will make it more difficult.
“China is targeting our farmers, who they know I love & respect, as a way of getting me to continue allowing them to take advantage of the U.S. They are being vicious in what will be their failed attempt. We were being nice – until now!,” he wrote.
“When you have people snipping at your heels during a negotiation, it will only take longer to make a deal, and the deal will never be as good as it could have been with unity. Negotiations are going really well, be cool. The end result will be worth it!”
His remarks effectively contradicted what Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said during a House Financial Services Committee hearing on July 12: that negotiations with Beijing had “broken down”.