President Donald Trump has defined his stance on the China trade war as a necessary, if “not sustainable,” conflict. He argues that without the tariffs, the US would be “exposed as being a nothing.”
This defense of his policy comes as he confirms a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in two weeks. In an interview, Trump acknowledged the policy’s unsustainability but said China “forced” him into it.
“I think we’re going to be fine with China,” Trump said, projecting optimism. But he also warned, “I don’t know what’s going to happen. We’ll see what happens,” noting China is “always looking for an edge.”
A 90-day truce in the trade war is set to expire on November 10, placing a hard deadline on the upcoming talks. This truce has paused duties that had threatened to cripple global trade.
Trump’s goal is a “fair deal.” He has swung from threatening 100% tariffs last week to confirming the meeting this week, indicating a volatile negotiating strategy.