Trump is desperate to speak to Xi Jinping this week on trade deal, will the Chinese president oblige?
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Trump really wants to talk to Chinese President Xi Jinping this week to fix the trade war. A person close to the talks said, 'The president is obsessed with having a call with Xi.' Trump thinks a personal call can help make a breakthrough in the $600 billion trade relationship. The U.S. is under pressure because China has blocked exports of key minerals needed for cars, electronics, and weapons, as per reports.The same person said China doesn't want to send rare earths or magnets to the U.S., but Xi might still take Trump's call. The Trump team thinks they have some 'leverage' and might use 'maximum pressure' on China soon.A former Trump official said Trump believes leaders speaking directly can skip the drama and solve things faster. But not everyone thinks Xi will answer the phone. Daniel Russel, an Obama-era official, said Trump looks 'eager' and 'desperate,' which makes China even more firm, as per the Politico report.China is also nervous because Trump has had public fights with other leaders, like Zelensky and Ramaphosa. Rush Doshi from Biden's team said China sees Trump as 'unpredictable' and that could embarrass Xi. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said a call is 'likely' this week, but a date hasn't been set yet. China's Foreign Ministry said they don't have any update about the call, according to reports.Last month, the U.S. and China agreed to lower tariffs. U.S. went from 145% to 30%, China dropped to 10%, and promised to remove export barriers on minerals. They gave themselves 90 days to start new trade talks, but things got messed up due to confusion and different expectations. The U.S. says China has slowed down shipments of critical minerals even after agreeing to send them.U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told CNBC that China cut some tariffs but did not follow through on other promises. A business official said progress on tariffs depends on solving the fentanyl drug issue. China gave two ideas to stop chemicals going to Mexican cartels, but the U.S. hasn't replied yet. Some U.S. officials think China won't really stick to any fentanyl agreement, according to the Politico report.According to Politico, former U.S. trade official Harry Broadman said Trump likes making deals, but Xi follows strict government rules and avoids detailed talks. Trump also posted online that Xi is 'very tough' and 'hard to make a deal with.' China replied saying the U.S. has also broken their agreement and promised to protect its own interests.He hopes a direct call will help restart trade talks and fix issues faster.As of now China hasn't confirmed the call will happen yet.
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