US-China News Continues to Run Positive, Negative

Statements by President Donald Trump and other officials are continuing a pattern of seemingly getting one step forward and one or even two steps back in the process of reaching an agreement on trade issues between the two. After Tuesday's news flow which saw reports that China was backing away from certain components sought by Washington in any trade deal and then word that top U.S. negotiators were headed to China next week, the pattern continued Wednesday. President Donald Trump said as he left Washington that the U.S. would keep tariffs on Chinese goods for a "substantial period of time," potentially even after a deal is reached. “We have to make sure that if we do the deal with China that China lives by the deal," Trump noted. But he also sounded some positive notes, including that "top representatives" are headed to China next week for negotiations, a reference confirming the reports Tuesday that U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin would head to China for talks. And even despite the warning on tariffs, Trump still labeled the talks as "coming along nicely."