President Donald Trump struck a deeply cautious tone about his upcoming trade talks with China, saying “I don’t know what’s going to happen. We’ll see what happens,” despite confirming a meeting with President Xi Jinping.
This uncertainty comes as Trump also made a surprising admission, calling his high-tariff policy “not sustainable.” He immediately blamed China, however, insisting “they forced me to do that.”
The meeting with Xi is scheduled for two weeks from now. The president’s comments suggest a volatile negotiating climate, balanced by his claim that he “get[s] along great” with Xi.
The talks, expected at the APEC summit in South Korea, are critical. A 90-day truce that has paused duties as high as 145% is set to expire on November 10.
Trump continues to demand a “fair deal.” He justified the tariffs, despite their unsustainability, as a necessary show of strength, arguing the US would be “a nothing” without them.