President Says China Meeting Still on; Grassley Suggests Not if China Is Balking

President Donald Trump told reporters that the negotiating meeting planned for September with the Chinese "is still on." He told reporters on Sept. 2 that "that hasn’t changed. They haven’t changed and we haven’t. We’ll see what happens."

But Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, who said he spoke to U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer on Aug. 30, said during a conference call Sept. 3: "The United States doesn't care to sit down and talk unless we think there's going to be movement on the three or four things we think are most important."

Grassley said those things are forced technology transfers through joint ventures, the stealing of intellectual property and trade secrets, and currency manipulation. All the escalation in the trade war since May has come because China backed away from some concessions in some of those areas. At the last meeting in Shanghai, China did not agree to change that stance.

Trump also tweeted Sept. 3 on the topic, firing back at critics who say the trade war would have been more effective if the U.S. partnered with allies to confront China. He sarcastically called them geniuses, and said those who "want me to get together with the EU and others to go after China Trade practices remember, the EU & all treat us VERY unfairly on Trade also. Will change!"