The apparent confusion between the White House and China over whether an agreement was reached to lift existing tariffs may be the product of a deliberate negotiating strategy by Beijing. The Chinese officials announced that agreement had been reached to lift tariffs in an attempt to prod the White House in the direction.

The ongoing trade negotiations appeared to hit a snag Friday when President Trump said that no agreement had been reached in recent negotiations to lift any tariffs. That seemingly contradicted a statement Thursday by Chinese Commerce Ministry spokesman Gao Feng that an agreement had been reached.