Trump Hopes for China Trade Deal in Four Weeks

April 4, 2019 (EIRNS)—Speaking to New York Times and other reporters in the White House where he met China’s chief negotiator, Vice-Premier Liu He, again, after the latest round of trade talks, President Donald Trump said that it may take another four weeks or more to reach an “epic” trade agreement. On issues that remain unresolved, he said, “We’re talking intellectual property protection and theft, and we’re talking about certain tariffs,” meaning the recently imposed tariffs.

He didn’t announce the date of a summit with President Xi Jinping, saying, “If we have a deal, then we’ll have a summit.”

He characterized the agreement so far as “very complete,” saying, “We’ve agreed to far more than we have left to agree to. I think I can say that some of the toughest things have been agreed to.”

In related news, the White House Director of National Drug Control Policy James Carroll took note today of China’s announcement that it is following through on its pledge to add fentanyl to that country’s list of controlled substances, effective May 1.