Trump softens rhetoric on China in bid for Xi summit and trade deal

[USA and China flags]
IgorIgorevich

U.S. President Donald Trump has reportedly dialed down his confrontational tone with China to secure a summit with counterpart Xi Jinping and a trade deal with the world’s second-largest economy.

Trump is now focused on cutting purchase deals with Beijing similar to one he forged during his first term and celebrating quick wins instead of addressing the root causes of the trade imbalances, _Bloomberg _reported.

On Tuesday, the U.S. president said he would be fighting China “in a very friendly fashion.”

In meetings with his staff, Trump is often the least hawkish voice in the room, some people familiar with internal deliberations said.

Administration officials emphasized that Trump has consistently expressed personal admiration for Xi, but noted that during his first term, he still imposed broad restrictions on Huawei Technologies and levied tariffs on most Chinese exports.

The decision to allow Nvidia (NVDA [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/NVDA]) to resume sales [https://seekingalpha.com/news/4467757-nvidia-to-ramp-up-h20-chip-supply-bring-advanced-chips-to-china] of its less-advanced, China-focused H20 chip — despite earlier statements from multiple senior officials that this was off the table — marked a reversal of the administration’s previously stated policy to restrict Beijing’s access to key American technologies.

In a further effort to ease tensions, US officials are preparing to delay an Aug. 12 deadline when U.S. tariffs on China are set to snap back to 145% after the expiration of a 90-day truce. Bessent signaled in a _Bloomberg Television_ interview this week that the deadline was flexible.

One person familiar with the plans said the tariff truce could be extended another three months. This comes as Trump is rolling out duties for other countries, including key allies.

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