China bemoans 'confusing' US signals but holds hope for a Trump-Xi meet

WASHINGTON (AFP) – US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping will ''probably'' meet at a G20 summit next month, a US official said Sunday, as both sides seek answers for a badly strained relationship that a Chinese official called ''very confusing.''

''The presidents will probably meet at the G20 in Buenos Aires,'' Trump economic adviser Larry Kudlow said on the ''Fox News Sunday'' program.

But he added that trade talks with China – with each side imposing a mounting series of tariffs on the other, raising fears of a shock to the global economy – had so far been ''unsatisfactory.''

''The relationship has not been positive lately,'' Kudlow said.

China's ambassador to the US, Cui Tiankai, raised similar doubts about the relationship between the world's two largest economic powers.

Also appearing on Fox, he said China has grown frustrated in trade talks because of conflicting signals from the Trump administration. Cui said other ambassadors in Washington shared his frustration.

''They don't know who was the final decision-maker'' in the administration, he said. ''Of course, presumably the president would take the final decision. But who is playing what role? It can be very confusing.''

Chinese officials have complained before about receiving mixed signals from Trump's economic team. One Chinese official appealed in June to ''our American interlocutors to be credible and consistent'' while another called the US side ''capricious.''