CHINA/G20/TARIFFS/TRADE DEALS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “China should be ready to make concessions on trade when President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping meet in Argentina later this week or the White House could impose even bigger tariffs on the country’s exports, Trump’s top economic adviser said Tuesday [11-27-18]. Trump and Xi are expected to convene on the sidelines of the G20 leaders’ meeting in Buenos Aires, an encounter at the highest levels that is widely viewed as the best chance of cooling tensions between the world’s two largest economies. But there won’t be progress unless the Chinese are ready to deal, Larry Kudlow, Trump’s top economic adviser, told reporters at a meeting at the White House…The chances of a breakthrough on the brutal trade standoff that has included multiple rounds of tit-for-tat tariffs still appear slim. Privately, senior administration officials told POLITICO that they don’t know what to expect. While officials believe the Chinese are eager to engage on trade, Xi is a wild card. And even officials close to the president acknowledged that Trump has been unpredictable during meetings with foreign leaders. Aides learned long ago that they can’t control what he says once he’s face to face with another head of state.”
–Andrew Restuccia and Doug Palmer, “White House: Trump wants trade concessions from China at Xi meeting,” Politico, November 27, 2018 2:35 pm