President Trump plans to meet with members of his trade team Saturday to receive an update on ongoing negotiations with China, the White House said.
Press secretary Sarah Sanders said Trump will meet at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida with Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, and trade adviser Peter Navarro. Other officials, such as Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and top economic advisor Larry Kudlow, will join the discussion by phone.
Trump has pledged to raise tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods — to 20 percent, compared to 10 percent currently — if the U.S. and China cannot reach an agreement to resolve the trade standoff by March 2.
The Trump administration is seeking to enact concessions from China on its theft of intellectual property, forced technology transfers, and other issues.
Trump during a Rose Garden press conference on Friday said talks were “going extremely well” but added a caveat that “who knows what that even means because it only matters if we get it done.”
