Chuck Schumer and Senate Democrats urged President Trump Wednesday to stay tough against China during his meeting this week with Chinese President Xi Jinping, urging him not to weaken his stance for the sake of a symbolic agreement.
“We know that you share our frustration that past U.S.-China dialogues and trade enforcement efforts have failed to achieve meaningful results and we appreciate that you have initiated much more aggressive action than past administrations,” the lawmakers said in a letter signed by Schumer and Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio. “We urge you to stand firm against China if meaningful concessions are not made. American jobs, American innovation, and long-term American economic prosperity are at stake.”
Trump is set to meet with Jinping starting on Nov. 30 during the G-20 summit in Argentina. The administration has said that it may go ahead with tariffs on an additional $257 billion on Chinese goods if meaningful concessions are not made by Beijing.
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“There is a good possibility that [Trump] can make a deal and he is open to it … but he is perfectly happy to stand by his tariff policies,” Trump economic adviser Larry Kudlow said during a Tuesday White House press conference. “That may not be his first choice, but that is his view.”
On Monday, Trump told the Wall Street Journal: “If we don’t make a deal, then I’m going to put the $267 billion additional on.”
The senators nevertheless said they have “seen disturbing reports that you may be considering backing down on further action against China in order to reach an agreement at the G-20,” without citing any source for the reports. At the same time, they did cite a report last week from U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, Trump’s top negotiator, which said that China has not altered its predatory trade practices that coerce U.S. companies into handing over technology.
The lawmakers conclude: “[W]hile we hope that talks with China will achieve meaningful results for U.S. workers, we urge you to not back down for the sake of a weak and meaningless agreement should China fail to make real concessions.”
