CHINA/G20/JAPAN/TARIFFS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Trump on Wednesday [6-26-19] played down the importance of securing a trade deal with China as he prepared to meet with its president, Xi Jinping, saying he was ready to proceed with additional tariffs if negotiations between the countries failed to get back on track. Mr. Trump said it was ‘possible’ that a deal could ultimately be reached and that China was eager for an agreement. But he said he was prepared to impose tariffs on another $300 billion worth of Chinese products, on top of the 25 percent tax already in place on $250 billion of Chinese imports. Mr. Trump also indicated he might limit the next round of tariffs to just 10 percent…Mr. Trump and Mr. Xi are scheduled to discuss the trade tensions on Saturday at the Group of 20 summit in Osaka, Japan. But while both the United States and China are feeling the burden of a bruising trade war, there appears to be little chance of a quick resolution to an economic conflict that has beaten down companies and consumers on both sides of the Pacific.”
–Ana Swanson and Adam Satariano, “‘My Plan B Is Maybe My Plan A’: Trump Threatens New Tariffs on China,” The New York Times online, June 26, 2019