BUENOS AIRES: US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping held high-stakes trade talks in Argentina on Saturday, and both sides signaled they made progress toward defusing a damaging tariffs war between the world’s two largest economies.
With the United States and China locked in an economic dispute that has unnerved global financial markets and weighed on the world economy, Trump and Xi sat down with their aides for a working dinner at the conclusion of a two-day gathering of world leaders in Buenos Aires.
After the 2-1/2 hour meeting, White House chief economist Larry Kudlow told reporters the talks went “very well,” but offered no specifics as he boarded Air Force One headed home to Washington with Trump.
Suggesting that at least a partial truce may have been reached to reduce trade tensions, Chinese state television said “no additional tariffs will be imposed after January 1, and negotiations between the two sides will continue,” without giving details.
Beijing’s goal was to persuade Trump to abandon plans to hike tariffs on $200 billion of Chinese goods to 25 percent in January, from 10 percent at present. Trump has threatened to go ahead with that and possibly add tariffs on $267 billion of imports if there is no progress in the talks.
The closely watched encounter came shortly after the Group of 20 industrialized nations on Saturday backed an overhaul of the global body that regulates international trade disputes, marking a victory for Trump, a sharp critic of the organization.
Trump told Xi at the start of their meeting he hoped they would achieve “something great” on trade for both countries.
He struck a positive note as he sat across from Xi, despite the US president’s earlier threats to impose new tariffs on Chinese imports as early as the start of next year.
He suggested that the “incredible relationship” he and Xi had established would be “the very primary reason” they could make progress on trade, though he offered no sense of how they might resolve the main issue dividing their countries.
Xi told Trump that only through cooperation could the United States and China serve the interest of peace and prosperity. Washington and Beijing have also increasingly been at odds over security in the Asia-Pacific region.
At the same time, Trump again raised with Xi his concern about the synthetic opioid fentanyl being sent from China to the United States, urging the Chinese leader to place it in a “restricted category” of drugs that would criminalize it.
The talks between Trump and Xi were widely seen as the most important meeting of US and Chinese leaders in years.
Afterwards, the editor of a major Chinese state-run newspaper also had a positive assessment of the outcome. “Based on information I received, talks between Xi and Trump went well and consensus was reached,” Hu Xijin, the editor of the Global Times, published by the ruling Communist Party’s official People’s Daily, wrote on Twitter, without giving details.
WTO REFORMS
Earlier on Saturday, the leaders of all the world’s top economies called for reforms to the crisis-stricken World Trade Organization in a final statement from their summit.
Officials expressed relief that agreement on the summit communique was reached after negotiators worked through the night to overcome differences over language on climate change.
The final text recognized trade as an important engine of global growth but made only a passing reference to “the current trade issues” after the US delegation won a battle to keep any mention of protectionism out of the statement.
In addition to tariffs on Chinese goods, Trump has imposed tariffs on steel and aluminums imports into the United States this year. Numerous countries have filed litigation at the WTO to contest the levies.
The United States is unhappy with what it says is the WTO’s failure to hold Beijing to account for not opening up its economy as envisioned when China joined the body in 2001. The European Union is also pushing for sweeping changes to how the WTO operates.
“Notwithstanding our differences, we have been able to agree a path forward at the G20,” French President Emanuel Macron told a news conference. “The United States has endorsed a clear multilateralist text.”
G20 delegates said negotiations on the final summit statement proceeded more smoothly than at a meeting of Asian leaders two weeks ago, where disagreements on protectionism and unfair trading practices prevented a consensus.
European officials said a reference to refugees and migration — a sensitive issue for Trump’s administration — was excised to ensure consensus.
US-China summit ends with signals of progress in defusing trade war
US-China summit ends with signals of progress in defusing trade war
- The final text recognized trade as an important engine of global growth but made only a passing reference to “the current trade issues”
Congressional candidates slam AIPAC influence in US elections
- Democrats Joseph Ruzevich, Kina Collins, Bushra Amiwala say pro-Israel lobby group interfering in their races
- They represent districts with large and growing Arab and Muslim constituencies
CHICAGO: Candidates in three Illinois congressional districts denounced the American Israel Public Affairs Committee at a press conference attended by Arab News on Thursday.
Democrats Joseph Ruzevich in the 6th District, Kina Collins in the 7th District and Bushra Amiwala in the 9th District accused the powerful lobby group of corrupting US elections and interfering in their races.
The three candidates, all running in the March 17 Democratic primary, represent districts with large and growing Arab and Muslim constituencies.
They said AIPAC pours millions of dollars into election campaigns to defeat candidates who criticize Israel.
“AIPAC and PACs like it do only one thing, fund negative attack ads on candidates and opponents,” said Ruzevich, whose district in the western suburbs of Chicago represents one of the largest concentrations of Arab voters in the country.
“We’d like to educate voters and candidates, offer solutions, and implore current elected officials running for reelection, and current candidates, to reject this money,” he added.
“This money is suffocating the voice of the voters. All three of us are Democrats here. It’s no longer enough to vote blue no matter who. We must make sure that we’re electing candidates who are loyal only to the people of their district.”
Ruzevich said: “AIPAC money undermines the voting rights of Americans and empowers foreign interests over American interests.
“We urge Americans to only vote for candidates who don’t accept AIPAC donations to their election campaigns.”
He added: “Americans must remain sovereign in America, and AIPAC's influence over our elections threatens that sovereignty.”
Ruzevich accused the incumbent in the 6th District, Congressman Sean Casten, of ignoring the concerns of Arab Americans there.
Casten, elected to Congress in 2019, has received hundreds of thousands of dollars in AIPAC funds. He has not responded to repeated requests for comment from Arab News.
Collins said AIPAC spent more than $500,000 to prevent her from winning election to the 7th Congressional District seat two years ago, and made false accusations that distorted her policies “all because I criticized Israel.”
She added: “I’m not for sale and our community isn’t for lease … Let’s be clear about what that money is doing … It’s being used to silence any voice that dares to stand up for human rights, for peace, and for an independent foreign policy that prioritizes people over the weapons industry.”
AIPAC “money goes way deeper than this election,” she said. “This is about a democracy that’s fragile right now. And we have the opportunity to change it.”
Amiwala said AIPAC money undermines the public debate on local issues such as funding families in need, improving education, and holding the line on rising costs for groceries, insurance and healthcare, instead pushing officials to focus on the political and financial needs of Israel’s government.
“Instead of confronting that reality, we’re finding our political system allows powerful interests to … pour extraordinary sums of money to shape American elections and American policy in the service of a foreign government,” she added.
“When you challenge AIPAC they come after you, after your family and after your allies, so you have to decide what kind of leader you’re going to be. Are you here to serve the public or to protect your own position?
“Just yesterday, Congress approved another $3.3 billion in weapons funding for Israel. Shame. Shame.”
The influence of AIPAC money has become a major controversy in this election cycle, with even Republicans speaking out for the first time.
Niki Conforti, who is running in the Republican primary in the 6th District on March 17, last week publicly said she refuses to accept AIPAC money.
Kentucky Republican Thomas Massie is among 20 members of Congress who have denounced AIPAC’s influence over elections.
Former Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene said recently: “The truth is AIPAC doesn’t like it because I unapologetically represent American. AIPAC needs to register as a foreign lobbyist by US law because they’re representing the secular government of nuclear-armed Israel 100 percent.”
She added: “I believe that political donations from any foreign entity or organization can corrupt our politicians and undermine our democracy. We need to stop foreign entities from dictating our policies and influencing our elections.”
Illinois Democrat Anabel Mendoza, also running for Congress in the 7th District, last week urged voters at a press conference attended by Arab News to “vote against” candidates who accept AIPAC funds.
In the 2022 election cycle, AIPAC endorsed 365 candidates, donating $17.5 million to their campaigns.
A total of 349 out of the 535 members in the current Congress received AIPAC funds, according to data compiled from OpenSecrets.org and TrackAIPAC.com.
