China urges trade cooperation with the United States

However, at the end of a superpower summit overshadowed by events in Syria, Trump ditched his trademark anti-China bombast, hailing an "outstanding" relationship with his counterpart Xi Jinping

Chinese President Xi Jinping inviting President Donald Trump to visit China in a cordial start to their first meeting likely to broach sensitive security and commercial issues, urged cooperation with the United States (US) on trade and investment. Though no major deals on either issue are expected, Trump wants to raise concerns about China's trade practices and press Xi to do more to rein in North Korea's nuclear ambitions during his two-day visit to the Spanish-style Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, US. 
According to a statement on China's Foreign Ministry website Xi said, the two sides should promote the "healthy development of bilateral trade and investment" and advance talks on a bilateral investment agreement. Xi told Trump that "We have a thousand reasons to get China-U.S. relations right, and not one reason to spoil the China-U.S. relationship". Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, joined Trump and his wife, Melania, at a long table in an ornate candle-lit private dining room festooned with red and yellow floral centerpieces, where they dined on pan-seared Dover sole and New York strip steak. Beijing's most powerful leader in decades invited the neophyte US president on a coveted state visit to China later in the year 2017. Trump accepted, with a date yet to be determined.   
A New York real estate magnate Trump, before he ran for office, joked before dinner: "We've had a long discussion already, and so far I have gotten nothing, absolutely nothing. But we have developed a friendship – I can see that – and I think long term we are going to have a very, very great relationship and I look very much forward to it”. The fanfare over the summit was overshadowed by another pressing foreign policy issue: the US response to a deadly poison gas attack in Syria. The US forces fired dozens of cruise missiles at a Syrian airbase from which it said the chemical weapons attack was launched this week – as Trump and Xi were wrapping up dinner. This is an escalation of the US military role in Syria that swiftly drew sharp criticism from Russia. 
China's Foreign Ministry in Beijing, urged all parties in Syria to find a political settlement to the issue. Trump and Xi got into more detailed discussions about trade and foreign policy issues, concluding their summit with a working lunch. Trump promised during the 2016 presidential campaign to stop what he called the theft of American jobs by China and rebuild the country's manufacturing base. Many blue-collar workers helped propel him to his unexpected election victory in November 2016 and Trump wants to deliver goods for them. Trump told media ahead of the meeting that "We have been treated unfairly and have made terrible trade deals with China for many, many years. That's one of the things we are going to be talking about". 
The bilateral investment treaty mentioned by Xi has received little attention since Trump took office – talks on which began during former president George W Bush's administration and resumed under Barack Obama. He brought his top economic and national advisers to Florida for the meeting, including Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross. Trump is still finding his footing in the White House and has yet to spell out a strategy for what his advisers called a trade relationship based on "the principle of reciprocity." The Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, also in Florida for the meeting, said that "Even as we share a desire to work together, the United States does recognize the challenges China can present to American interests".  
Trump's daughter, Ivanka, and her husband, Jared Kushner, who both work at the White House, also were among the dinner guests. The summit brings together two leaders who could not seem more different: the often stormy Trump, prone to angry tweets, and Xi, outwardly calm, measured and tightly scripted, with no known social media presence. What worries the protocol-conscious Chinese more than policy clashes is the risk that the unpredictable Trump could publicly embarrass Xi, after several foreign leaders’ experienced awkward moments with the new US president. A Chinese official said that "Ensuring President Xi does not lose face is a top priority for China". 
The most urgent problem facing Trump and Xi is how to persuade nuclear-armed North Korea to halt unpredictable behaviour like missile test launches. These have heightened tensions in South Korea and Japan. North Korea is working to develop an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of hitting the US. Trump has threatened to use trade to try to force China to exert influence over Pyongyang. Trump told media that "I think China will be stepping up". Beijing says its influence is limited and that it is doing all it can. The White House is reviewing options to pressure Pyongyang economically and militarily, including "secondary sanctions" against Chinese banks and firms that do the most business with Pyongyang. 
A long-standing option of pre-emptive strikes remains on the table. A US official said, speaking on condition of anonymity, that, but despite the tougher recent US talk, the internal review "de-emphasizes direct military action". Analysts believe any military action would likely provoke severe North Korean retaliation and massive casualties in South Korea and Japan and among US troops stationed there. On trade, US labour leaders say Trump needs to take a direct, unambiguous tone in his talks with Xi. Holly Hart, legislative director for the United Steelworkers union said that "President Trump needs to come away from the meeting with concrete deliverables that will restore production and employment here in the US in those sectors that have been ravaged by China's predatory and protectionist practices". 
A US administration official told that Washington expects to have to use legal tools to fight for US companies, such as pursuing World Trade Organization lawsuits.  A US official told media, speaking on condition of anonymity, that "I don't expect a grand bargain on trade. I think what you are going to see is that the president makes very clear to Xi and publicly what we expect on trade". Trump has often complained Beijing undervalues its currency to boost trade, but his administration looks unlikely to formally label China a currency manipulator in the near term – a designation that could come with penalties. 
However, at the end of a superpower summit overshadowed by events in Syria, Trump ditched his trademark anti-China bombast, hailing an "outstanding" relationship with his counterpart Xi Jinping. Trump said, declaring his relationship with Xi as "outstanding", that "We have made tremendous progress in our relationship with China. I think truly progress has been made". The friendly tone was a far cry from Trump's acerbic campaign denouncements about China's "rape" of the US economy and his vow to punish Beijing with punitive tariffs. They, however, "arrived at many common understandings, the most important being deepening our friendship and building a kind of trust” – Xi said at the close of the meeting. 

The writer is a retired Professor of Economics,  BCS General Education Cadre

China urges trade cooperation with the United States

However, at the end of a superpower summit overshadowed by events in Syria, Trump ditched his trademark anti-China bombast, hailing an outstanding relationship with his counterpart Xi Jinping

Chinese President Xi Jinping inviting President Donald Trump to visit China in a cordial start to their first meeting likely to broach sensitive security and commercial issues, urged cooperation with the United States (US) on trade and investment. Though no major deals on either issue are expected, Trump wants to raise concerns about Chinas trade practices and press Xi to do more to rein in North Koreas nuclear ambitions during his two-day visit to the Spanish-style Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, US. According to a statement on Chinas Foreign Ministry website Xi said, the two sides should promote the healthy development of bilateral trade and investment and advance talks on a bilateral investment agreement. Xi told Trump that We have a thousand reasons to get China-U.S. relations right, and not one reason to spoil the China-U.S. relationship. Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, joined Trump and his wife, Melania, at a long table in an ornate candle-lit private dining room festooned with red and yellow floral centerpieces, where they dined on pan-seared Dover sole and New York strip steak. Beijings most powerful leader in decades invited the neophyte US president on a coveted state visit to China later in the year 2017. Trump accepted, with a date yet to be determined. A New York real estate magnate Trump, before he ran for office, joked before dinner: Weve had a long discussion already, and so far I have gotten nothing, absolutely nothing. But we have developed a friendship I can see that and I think long term we are going to have a very, very great relationship and I look very much forward to it. The fanfare over the summit was overshadowed by another pressing foreign policy issue: the US response to a deadly poison gas attack in Syria. The US forces fired dozens of cruise missiles at a Syrian airbase from which it said the chemical weapons attack was launched this week as Trump and Xi were wrapping up dinner. This is an escalation of the US military role in Syria that swiftly drew sharp criticism from Russia. Chinas Foreign Ministry in Beijing, urged all parties in Syria to find a political settlement to the issue. Trump and Xi got into more detailed discussions about trade and foreign policy issues, concluding their summit with a working lunch. Trump promised during the 2016 presidential campaign to stop what he called the theft of American jobs by China and rebuild the countrys manufacturing base. Many blue-collar workers helped propel him to his unexpected election victory in November 2016 and Trump wants to deliver goods for them. Trump told media ahead of the meeting that We have been treated unfairly and have made terrible trade deals with China for many, many years. Thats one of the things we are going to be talking about. The bilateral investment treaty mentioned by Xi has received little attention since Trump took office talks on which began during former president George W Bushs administration and resumed under Barack Obama. He brought his top economic and national advisers to Florida for the meeting, including Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross. Trump is still finding his footing in the White House and has yet to spell out a strategy for what his advisers called a trade relationship based on the principle of reciprocity. The Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, also in Florida for the meeting, said that Even as we share a desire to work together, the United States does recognize the challenges China can present to American interests. Trumps daughter, Ivanka, and her husband, Jared Kushner, who both work at the White House, also were among the dinner guests. The summit brings together two leaders who could not seem more different: the often stormy Trump, prone to angry tweets, and Xi, outwardly calm, measured and tightly scripted, with no known social media presence. What worries the protocol-conscious Chinese more than policy clashes is the risk that the unpredictable Trump could publicly embarrass Xi, after several foreign leaders experienced awkward moments with the new US president. A Chinese official said that Ensuring President Xi does not lose face is a top priority for China. The most urgent problem facing Trump and Xi is how to persuade nuclear-armed North Korea to halt unpredictable behaviour like missile test launches. These have heightened tensions in South Korea and Japan. North Korea is working to develop an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of hitting the US. Trump has threatened to use trade to try to force China to exert influence over Pyongyang. Trump told media that I think China will be stepping up. Beijing says its influence is limited and that it is doing all it can. The White House is reviewing options to pressure Pyongyang economically and militarily, including secondary sanctions against Chinese banks and firms that do the most business with Pyongyang. A long-standing option of pre-emptive strikes remains on the table. A US official said, speaking on condition of anonymity, that, but despite the tougher recent US talk, the internal review de-emphasizes direct military action. Analysts believe any military action would likely provoke severe North Korean retaliation and massive casualties in South Korea and Japan and among US troops stationed there. On trade, US labour leaders say Trump needs to take a direct, unambiguous tone in his talks with Xi. Holly Hart, legislative director for the United Steelworkers union said that President Trump needs to come away from the meeting with concrete deliverables that will restore production and employment here in the US in those sectors that have been ravaged by Chinas predatory and protectionist practices. A US administration official told that Washington expects to have to use legal tools to fight for US companies, such as pursuing World Trade Organization lawsuits. A US official told media, speaking on condition of anonymity, that I dont expect a grand bargain on trade. I think what you are going to see is that the president makes very clear to Xi and publicly what we expect on trade. Trump has often complained Beijing undervalues its currency to boost trade, but his administration looks unlikely to formally label China a currency manipulator in the near term a designation that could come with penalties. However, at the end of a superpower summit overshadowed by events in Syria, Trump ditched his trademark anti-China bombast, hailing an outstanding relationship with his counterpart Xi Jinping. Trump said, declaring his relationship with Xi as outstanding, that We have made tremendous progress in our relationship with China. I think truly progress has been made. The friendly tone was a far cry from Trumps acerbic campaign denouncements about Chinas rape of the US economy and his vow to punish Beijing with punitive tariffs. They, however, arrived at many common understandings, the most important being deepening our friendship and building a kind of trust Xi said at the close of the meeting. The writer is a retired Professor of Economics, BCS GeneralEducation Cadre