President Donald Trump lashed out at China for what he said is its unwillingness to buy American agricultural products and said it continues to “rip off” the U.S., even as the two nations are launching a new round of negotiations in Shanghai.
“China is doing very badly, worst year in 27 - was supposed to start buying our agricultural product now - no signs that they are doing so,” Trump said Tuesday on Twitter. “That is the problem with China, they just don’t come through.”
U.S. delegates including Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer have arrived in China to begin another round of talks with their Chinese counterparts.
Expectations for a breakthrough in the trade talks remain low. The two sides are further apart than they were three months ago, when negotiations broke down and each side blamed the other for derailing attempts to reach a deal. China is pushing for compromise in the talks, with state media underlining this week that the U.S. should meet it “halfway.”
