No Trump, Xi Meeting Before March 1

U.S. President Donald Trump and China's President Xi Jinping chat as they walk along the front patio of the Mar-a-Lago estate after a bilateral meeting in Palm Beach, Florida, U.S., April 7, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Barria

Reuters: Trump, Xi unlikely to meet before March 1 trade deadline: U.S. officials

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are unlikely to meet before their countries’ March 1 deadline to reach a trade deal, two U.S. administration officials and a source familiar with the negotiations said on Thursday.

The countries had taken a 90-day hiatus in their trade war to hammer out a deal, and another round of talks is scheduled for next week in China.

White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow told reporters on Thursday that the leaders of the two economic superpowers could still meet later.

“At some point the two presidents will meet, that is what Mr. Trump has been saying. But that is off in the distance still at the moment,” he said.

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WNU Editor: These meetings take weeks/months to discuss, negotiate, and arrange. And when leaders at this level meet, they have already agreed on the main issues, and it is just a formality to announce the agreement. The fact that this meeting is not going to happen tells me that they are still far apart on how to end this trade war. And I am putting the blame on China. Everyone I know in China has been telling me since last year that the White House was going to cave to China on this issue. They still believe this, and hence they are not making any compromises or concessions. I think this is the mistake, but for now China is going to continue this hard-line, and (bottom line) there is going to be no meeting.