One of Donald Trump's most persistent economic promises as president has been to rewrite the U.S. relationship with China. Yet as he approaches a potential deal, some of the very hawks who have cheered on his trade war already fear he may end up falling short.
With less than a month before a March 1 deadline for either a deal or an increase in U.S. tariffs, hard-liners inside and outside the administration fret Trump is being outplayed by President Xi Jinping and seduced by what they see as empty promises.
After Trump hosted Vice Premier Liu He at the White House last week, one administration official privately likened the direction of negotiations to the president's caving to Democrats in the shutdown battle over funding for a border wall. Another person close to the talks said Trump appeared determined to turn a pile of crumbs offered by China into what at best might turn out to be a slice of bread.
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