China and the United States head Thursday into a make-or-break round of trade war negotiations with hopes of a deal hanging by a thread after Washington scheduled a massive tariff hike on Chinese goods.
After months of seemingly collegial talks, Chinese trade envoy Liu He returns to the bargaining table in the US capital under a tense atmosphere after US negotiators accused Beijing of reneging on previously agreed commitments.
President Donald Trump tweeted Wednesday that Liu still wanted to “make a deal”, but the US leader boasted about tariffs that were “not good for China”.
The United States plans to increase tariffs on $200 billion in Chinese goods from 10 to 25 percent on Friday, prompting Beijing to vow to hit back with “necessary countermeasures”.