CHINA/TRADE DEALS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “TODAY’S TRADE TALKS COULD SET UP TRUMP-XI FACEOFF: The U.S. and China are likely to announce today that trade negotiators have made serious headway in forging a trade deal, a development that could lead to a high-stakes summit between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping next month, Pro Trade’s Doug Palmer writes. Trump plans to meet this afternoon with China’s top trade negotiator, per Bloomberg. A potential deal to stave off Trump’s plan to increase tariffs on $200 billion in Chinese goods on March 2 could feature as many as six separate memorandums of understanding related to areas including agriculture, non-tariff barriers and intellectual property rights, Doug reports. USTR is also pushing for China to deliver ‘quick wins’ for Trump on 10 additional items that don’t require major reforms, such as approving more U.S. biotech crop varieties for importation.”
–Liz Crampton, “Trade talks could set up Trump-Xi faceoff,” Politico, Februar 22, 2019 10:00 am