Trump Says Weekend Meeting With Xi Went Well

(OSAKA, JAPAN) President Trump told reporters at the recent G-20 meetings in Japan that the U.S. and China are restarting their talks aimed at ending a year-long trade dispute. The news, though positive, did not provide any direct answers as to where the talks are right now and/or how long the runway is for landing the deal. In their first meeting since last December, Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping talked in person for just under 90 minutes and both sides agree that talks should continue. After that, each country has a different view of the exchange. Trump says that China agreed to buy more U.S. farm products – a promise that the Chinese made more than six months ago and to date, have not followed through with. China offered that Trump would not impose new tariffs on Chinese goods anymore, though the President actually said he would not impose further tariffs on $325 billion of Chinese imports while the trade negotiations restart. Either way, both sides agreed to sit back down and work towards common ground. The talks broke off in May, Trump said, after the Chinese renigged on their original agreement. The U.S. wants China to crack down on intellectual theft, eliminate currency manipulation and open their markets to fair trade – especially in agriculture and manufacturing.