Free Republic

Trump heads to Beijing hoping personal ties with Xi can ease tensions but Iran, tariffs, Taiwan and China’s expanding global influence have complicated prospects for meaningful breakthroughs at the summit… Beijing’s deep economic relationship with Tehran, especially its dependence on Iranian oil — has placed China in a delicate position as Washington seeks broader regional support… Trump’s first presidency was dominated by tariff battles with China, many of which reshaped global trade flows even after some measures were later struck down in US courts… While a temporary trade truce last year reduced some pressure, the underlying disputes remain unresolved... The...

During a private phone call in June, President Donald Trump promised Chinese President Xi Jinping that the US would remain quiet on pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong while trade talks continued, two sources familiar with the call tell CNN. The remarkable pledge to the Chinese leader is a dramatic departure from decades of US support for human rights in China and shows just how eager Trump is to strike a deal with Beijing as the trade war weighs on the US economy. And like other calls with the leaders of Ukraine, Russia and Saudi Arabia, records of Trump's call with...

The U.S. and China will resume trade talks following a meeting between President Donald Trump and Chinese dictator Xi Jinping. “We had a very good meeting with President Xi of China,” Trump said following an 80 minute meeting with Xi Saturday morning in Japan. “Excellent, I would say excellent.” Trump added that the trade talks are “right back on track.” The U.S. agreed not to raise additional tariffs on China while the talks resume, according to Chinese officials. But the U.S. has not agreed to take down the tariffs already in place, something China had been saying was a precondition...