President Donald Trump has repeatedly emphasized his core demand for his upcoming meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping: “We have to have a fair deal. It’s got to be fair.”
This simple demand is at the heart of a complex trade war. Trump confirmed the meeting with Xi is set for two weeks, just as a critical 90-day truce is set to expire on November 10.
In a new development, Trump admitted his main negotiating tool—high tariffs—is “not sustainable.” He immediately blamed China, claiming “they forced me to do that.”
This sets the stage for a negotiation where Trump will likely offer to roll back the “unsustainable” tariffs in exchange for concessions on his “fair deal.”
This is a sharp pivot from last week, when Trump threatened 100% tariffs and discussed canceling the meeting. Now, his focus is on diplomacy.