US trade talks with China, once believed to be in their final stages, instead appeared to be at risk Monday morning after President Donald Trump threw the negotiations into question with a series of tweets threatening new tariffs.
US officials said they were awaiting word from Beijing on the plans for the Chinese delegation that was supposed to arrive later this week.
Earlier Monday, a Chinese government spokesman said they were still planning to move forward with the talks, set to begin Wednesday, but a US official said it was still unclear whether it will be led by Liu He, the vice premier and chief trade negotiator, and whether this round of negotiations will be truncated after Trump’s tweets threatening additional tariffs.
The Chinese delegation was set to include more than 100 people, one official said, and was viewed by many involved with the talks as a final step before a summit encounter between Trump and his Chinese counterpart.
Trump was trying to rattle China with the tweet, according to the official, who said the last round of talks ended with some uncertainty on how much China would be willing to change its economic practices as part of a deal.
