With reports that the US and China are getting close to a deal to settle a protracted trade war, the hopes to get everything finalized in 90 days have suddenly become an ultimatum. Now, US officials are warning that the 90 days is a “hard deadline.”
US trade representative Robert Lighthizer warned on Sunday that the deadline is absolute, and that if China doesn’t comply, the 10% tariffs the US is currently imposing will rise to 25%. And while Larry Kudlow says a “lot of good things” are happening, Lighthizer is demanding a total, absolute, and irreversible deal meeting all US demands.
This is a particularly bad time for that deadline, as Canada’s capture of the Huawei CFO at the behest of the US is fueling a lot of anger, and top Chinese officials are warning President Xi not to make any immediate concessions.
US officials say that trade with China, and the sudden detention of a top official at one of China’s top electronics firms are totally unrelated. China clearly doesn’t see it that way, however, and with many of the same issues intertwined in both, some in China see the sudden detention as a sign that the US isn’t looking to make a negotiated deal, but rather to keep issuing demands while acting unilaterally against Chinese companies seen as a threat to US interests.
This will be an absolute disaster for the World economy. The detention of Huawei is an act of war and China will likely soon retaliate and take U.S. executives into custody. Bolton Bush Lighthizer can’t get over their egotistical self interests to recognize the danger in these actions. Maybe Canada will release Huawei and bail out Washington concerning these insane actions.
NBC Nightly News did not even mention the Huawei arrest tonight. It has been very difficult to find any updates throughout most of the day on the situation in the main stream press despite the fact the original hearing was extended on Friday into Monday with some resolution concerning U.S. extradition expected today. Evidently corporate media thinks the issue will go away if they ignore it like recent U.S. bombing raids on Syria, Libya, and Afghanistan.
So hats off to Jason Ditz for publishing one of the only reports on the situation
To go full throttle, China needs to buy as much of a time as possible. Unfortunately, U.S. knows this and is trying to stop China going full throttle.
What is he supposed to say? Never mind the deadline?
We’ll see when the time comes. Until then, it is all talk.
It doesn’t sound like there’s much new to the US position, but the bullying tone does continue. I am starting to doubt the Trump admin wants an amicable solution to this, maybe they’d rather take the economic hit if this can be used to coax our allies to isolate China, reducing their strategic ambitions. US officials expect us to be the only superpower, all else is sacrifice-able.
China will not retaliate in the barbaric tit for tat of a minor drug dealing military empire like the US.
US company execs in china will be used like pawns. They will simply be forced to beg by closing off all shipments to US ports. If the US wants anything from China, it may pick up containers at the new Chinese harbor in Athens or the loading docks of Lisbon.
The US hubris is growing worse. How can any country, even an indispensable, exceptional leader of the free world act like a complete thug at every moment?