Trump says he’ll talk trade with Xi next week at G-20

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said he’ll hold trade talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping next week at a Group of 20 summit in Japan. And U.S. and Chinese negotiators will resume talks before the leaders meet.

Financial markets greeted the news with relief Tuesday. The Dow Jones industrial average was up more than 350 points in midafternoon trading.

Investors have been on edge since the world’s two biggest economies last month broke off talks aimed at settling a dispute over allegations that China steals technologies and forces foreign companies to hand over trade secrets. The U.S. says the predatory tactics are part of Beijing’s drive to supplant American technological dominance.

Trump has already imposed 25% tariffs on $250 billion in Chinese imports. And he’s preparing to target the $300 billion in Chinese imports that he hasn’t already hit with tariffs, extending them to everything China ships to the United States. China has retaliated with tariffs on U.S. goods.

“Had a very good telephone conversation with President Xi of China,” Trump tweeted. “We will be having an extended meeting next week at the G-20 in Japan. Our respective teams will begin talks prior to our meeting.”

The White House said in statement that the two

aleaders discussed leveling the playing field for U.S. farmers, workers and businesses through a “fair and reciprocal” economic relationship. The White House said that includes addressing barriers to trade with China and achieving meaningful reforms that can be verified and enforced.

One of Trump’s top economic advisers, Larry Kudlow, would not speculate on what will happen at the Trump-Xi meeting on the sidelines of the G-20. “Talk is better than

no talk,” said Kudlow, director of the National Economic Council.

Kudlow said the administration will push China to make fundamental changes to its economic policies.

“We want structural changes on all the items — theft of (intellectual property), forced transfer of technology, cyber hacking, of course trade barriers,” he said. “We’ve got to have something that’s enforceable.”

Appearing before the Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday, Trump’s top trade negotiator sounded a cautious note.

“I can’t predict what the United States is going to do or whether we’re going to be able to resolve this issue with China,” U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said. “My hope is that we can.”

U.S. businesses are imploring Trump not to expand his tariffs to $300 billion in goods from China or at least spare those imports that are of key importance to their customers.