President Donald Trump pressed Chinese President Xi Jinping to do more to curb North Korea\u2019s nuclear programme and help reduce the gaping U. S. trade deficit with Beijing in talks on Friday, even as he toned down the strident anti-China rhetoric of his election campaign.<\/b>
PALM BEACH, Fla.: President Donald Trump pressed Chinese President Xi Jinping to do more to curb North Korea\u2019s nuclear programme and help reduce the gaping U. S. trade deficit with Beijing in talks on Friday, even as he toned down the strident anti-China rhetoric of his election campaign.
Trump spoke publicly of progress on a range of issues in his first U. S.-China summit \u2013 as did several of his top aides \u2013 but they provided few concrete specifics other than China’s agreement to work together to narrow disagreements and find common ground for cooperation.
As the two leaders wrapped up a Florida summit overshadowed by U. S. missile strikes in Syria overnight, Xi joined Trump in stressing the positive mood of the meetings and at the same time papering over deep differences that have caused friction between the world\u2019s two biggest economies.
Trump\u2019s aides insisted he had made good on his pledge to raise concerns about China\u2019s trade practices and said there was some headway, Xi agreeing to a 100-day plan for trade talks aimed at boosting U. S. exports and reducing China\u2019s trade surplus with the United States.
Speaking after the two-day summit at Trump\u2019s Mar-a-Lago resort, U. S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson also said that Xi had agreed to increased cooperation in reining in North Korea\u2019s missile and nuclear programs \u2013 though he did not offer any new formula for cracking Pyongyang\u2019s defiant attitude.
Trump promised during the campaign to stop what he called the theft of American jobs by China. Many blue-collar workers helped propel him to his unexpected election victory on Nov. 8 and Trump is under pressure to deliver for them.
The Republican president tweeted last week that the United States could no longer tolerate massive trade deficits and job losses and that his meeting with Xi \u00ab\u00a0will be a very difficult one. \u00ab\u00a0
On Friday, the unpredictable Trump not only set a different tone but also avoided any public lapses in protocol that Chinese officials had feared could embarrass their leader.
\u00ab\u00a0We have made tremendous progress in our relationship with China, \u00a0\u00bb Trump told reporters as the two delegations met around tables flanked by large U. S. and Chinese flags. \u00ab\u00a0We will be making additional progress. The relationship developed by President Xi and myself I think is outstanding.\u201d
\u201cAnd I believe lots of very potentially bad problems will be going away, \u00a0\u00bb he added, without providing details.
Xi also spoke in mostly positive terms.
\u201cWe have engaged in deeper understanding, and have built a trust, \u00a0\u00bb he said. \u201cI believe we will keep developing in a stable way to form friendly relations … For the peace and stability of the world, we will also fulfil our historical responsibility.\u201d
But in a sign that rough spots remained, Tillerson afterwards described the discussions as \u201cvery frank and candid.\u201d
After the meeting, Trump took Xi on a walk around the manicured grounds of his lavish Spanish-style complex. Trump could be seen chatting and gesturing to Xi, who did the same.
Tillerson said Trump had accepted Xi\u2019s invitation to visit China and that they also agreed to upgrade a U. S.-China dialogue by putting the two presidents at the head of the forum.
U. S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said the Chinese had expressed an interest in reducing China\u2019s trade surplus as a way of controlling their own inflation. \u201cThat\u2019s the first time I\u2019ve heard them say that in a bilateral context,\u201d he said.
The highly anticipated U. S.-China summit was upstaged by U. S. missile strikes overnight against a Syrian air base from which Trump said a deadly chemical weapon attack had been launched. It was the first direct U. S. assault on the Russian-backed government of Bashar al-Assad in six years of civil war.
The swift action in Syria could be interpreted as a signal especially to defiant nuclear-armed North Korea \u2013 and by extension, its ally China \u2013 as well as other countries like Iran and Russia of Trump\u2019s willingness to use military force. North Korea is developing missiles capable of hitting the United States.
Tillerson said Xi agreed with Trump that North Korea’s nuclear advances had reached a \u201cvery serious stage.\u201d
He said Trump also raised U. S.concerns about China’s activities in the South China Sea. Beijing is building and fortifying islands in pursuit of expansive territorial claims in the strategic waterway.<\/p>\n