President Trump is unusually subsumed in foreign policy, a perhaps welcome distraction from ongoing domestic crises even more virulent than usual, including the arrest of Trump ally Roger Stone and a federal shutdown that ended after five weeks and threatens to start up again.

Top Trump administration officials on Wednesday welcomed a delegation from China for the latest round of trade talks. The negotiations with the Chinese delegation are the latest effort by the Trump administration to meet a self-imposed March 1 deadline to reach a trade deal with China. Trump himself was set to be involved, holding a rare meeting with a lower-ranking foreign official Chinese Vice Premier Liu He.