By Sama Marwan,
Politico reported that U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are stuck in a standoff over direct trade negotiations, noting that Trump’s refusal to allow informal diplomatic engagement to bridge the gap between the White House and Beijing is slowing progress toward a potential agreement.
Trump insists on holding individual talks with the Chinese president, which has disrupted other diplomatic efforts aimed at halting the escalating trade war between the two global powers.
According to former senior State Department officials and an industry source—who all spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue—Trump has not allowed White House delegates to engage with Chinese officials in Beijing in search of a breakthrough.
The U.S. Senate has not yet confirmed a new ambassador to China, and Trump has not appointed anyone else to lead the negotiations with Beijing. Moreover, the White House has not contacted the Chinese embassy to initiate discussions.
Politico stated that the lack of serious communication has frozen meaningful dialogue between the two countries and threatens the possibility of reaching a resolution soon.
Politico quoted Ryan Hass, former Director for China, Taiwan, and Mongolia at the National Security Council during the Obama administration, saying:
“Backchannels aren’t working because President Trump doesn’t want them.”
He added:
“Trump wants to deal directly with President Xi in the same way he dealt with President Putin. I don’t think he’s particularly interested in outsourcing his views to others.”
Trump has repeatedly expressed his desire to speak with or meet Xi to ease trade tensions. However, the Chinese leader appears to be resisting these overtures. Instead, Xi focused this week on rallying Southeast Asian nations to strengthen their ties with China in opposition to the U.S. tariffs. This apparent stalemate has frustrated the White House.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated:
“President Trump has made it clear that the ball is in China’s court.”
