While the United States and China have made progress toward a compromise, Beijing is leery of holding a summit without concluding a deal first.
BEIJING — President Trump says he is optimistic that a landmark trade deal with China is close. Chinese officials are not so sure.
The two sides in recent weeks agreed to the broad outlines of an agreement that would roll back tariffs in both countries, with China buying more American goods and opening up some markets to foreign goods. The trade deal looks like a good one for Beijing, since it largely spares the government from making substantive changes to its economy.
But some of the biggest details — like the enforcement mechanism to ensure China complies and the timing for the removal of tariffs — still haven’t been hammered out. Beijing officials are wary that the final terms may be less favorable, especially given Mr. Trump’s propensity for last-minute changes, according to two people familiar with China’s position.
“The work team is still continuing to negotiate because we still have a lot to do,” said Commerce Minister Zhong Shan, speaking on the sidelines of the 11-day annual session of the National People’s Congress, which began on Tuesday. At the legislative meeting, senior Chinese officials have been taking turns warning that challenges remain.
The emerging gap is starting to put in doubt plans for President Xi Jinping to meet with Mr. Trump in late March or early April to sign a deal.
Chinese officials face an obvious dilemma in asking their president to fly all the way to Mr. Trump’s club at Mar-a-Lago, Fla., without a clear understanding of the final details.. And persuading Mr. Xi to attend such a summit is no easy task, given his imperative of appearing strong before a domestic audience.
“If they’re going to send their president all the way to Florida, they have to know there’s an agreement in the end,” said James Green, who until last August was the top trade official at the United States Embassy in Beijing and is now a fellow at Georgetown University.
Mr. Trump’s meeting in Hanoi last week with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un serves as a cautionary tale. The meeting ended abruptly when the American president decided the North Koreans were not offering sufficient terms.
