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When US-China trade talks get back on track, Witkoff can roll in for rescue

Trade tensions between the United States and China have entered a stalemate. US President Donald J. Trump has imposed 145 percent tariffs on Chinese imports, with some exemptions, while Beijing has reciprocated with similar measures to curtail US exports entering the Chinese market.

 

The Chinese government claims they will “fight to the bitter end,” while delaying formal actions to restart US-China trade negotiations. President Trump said he awaits a phone call from Chinese President Xi Jinping to dial down the diplomatic dispute between the two richest and most powerful nations in our world today.

 

But alas, President Xi is refusing to pick up the phone, since the Chinese Politburo believes that such actions would be akin to China surrendering its pride and returning to the so-called ‘Century of Humiliation,’ when the two Opium Wars had ravaged the nation from 1839 to 1860.

 

Meanwhile, Chinese trade officials are under the impression that they are winning against the United States and that has emboldened them to take a more stubborn stand. They review postings from allegedly non-Chinese citizens, who have emerged as so-called pro-China Social Media influencers.

 

There’s an X account, @RnaudBertrand (Arnaud Bertand), a poster who alleges that he’s a French man residing in Shanghai. He anticipates that Japan will refuse to sign a trade deal with the US and will back China instead. Let’s cite his posting on X:

 

“It's interesting to see how aligned the Japanese position on the tariffs is with China's, even now using virtually the same official wording as the Chinese.

 

Japan's chief negotiator Ryosei Akazawa: "We have been telling [the US] that the entire series of tariffs are regrettable and have strongly insisted they be revised. Unless this demand is acknowledged in an ultimate package, there is no way we can agree to a deal."

 

China's Ministry of Commerce: "In any potential dialogue or talks, if the United States does not rectify its erroneous unilateral tariff measures, it would demonstrate a complete lack of sincerity."

 

 

In other words, both China and Japan are now saying: "remove the tariffs or the talks are meaningless." 

 

Well amid such fantasy speculation on the part of Chinese trade officials and their Social Media propaganda team, one might ponder that Beijing might fight to the bitter end.

 

Nonetheless, the facts tell a different story and the Chinese economy has begun to crumble with a massive wave of factories shutting down and its exporters halting business activities since the US was their most lucrative and reliable trade partner.

 

The New York Post published an account about protests erupting across China.

 

“Protests from furious factory workers in China demanding back pay are spreading across the country after President Trump’s tariffs on Chinese imports began impacting the communist nation’s economy.

 

Unrest has been reported across the country as workers have taken to the streets protesting unpaid wages and challenging unfair dismissals following the closures of factories squeezed by US tariffs, according to Radio Free Asia.

 

Chinese industry leaders, meanwhile, are “extremely anxious” about the steep duties, with many telling factories and suppliers to halt or delay supplies, Wang Xin, head of an industry group representing more than 2,000 Chinese merchants told the Financial Times.”

 

As reality sets in and the Chinese discover that their pro-China Social Media influencers were posting delusional rubbish about China winning trade wars, we should expect Beijing to back down in the near future with them suggesting that formal US-China trade negotiations should begin anew.

 

Accordingly, Steve Witkoff will be the right man at the right time if President Trump selects him to lead the US side on pending trade talks with China in order to restore sanity.

 

Steve Witkoff has worked with President Trump for a number of decades in business and politics. He played a crucial role in Trump’s illustrious career as a property developer. Witkoff has also been appointed as a troubleshooter for the Trump administration to resolve complicated US foreign policy matters and long-standing diplomatic disputes.

 

Witkoff is the ultimate ‘fix-it’ man, who has been the key negotiator for the US side to seal the Abrams Accords during Trump’s first term in the White House, 2017-2021. This deal paved a path for greater peace in the Middle East.

 

Witkoff was also appointed to help resolve Israel’s war on Hamas in Palestinian territories, to find ways for Washington and Tehran to return to nuclear talks, and to seek a peaceful resolution on the Ukraine-Russia War. 

 

Steve Witkoff has earned remarkable recognition for his calm demeanor, professional manner, as well as having an exuberance of empathy and astute listening skills amid the toughest of negotiations. President Trump is the gate crasher and Witkoff is the gate-fixer. Trump and Witkoff work well together in their respective ‘good cop’ and ‘bad cop’ roles.

 

Trump loves to talk tough and shows little regard for the feelings of the people surrounding him. Even his closest confidantes and supporters, confess that Trump has a narcissistic bullying personality and delights in acting like a jerk boss, who loves to terrorize both his subordinates and rivals.

 

Nevertheless, President Trump holds good intentions as a true patriot who is ‘draining the swamp’ (cracking down on corruption in the US) and placing ‘America First’ values as top priority for his administration.

 

Trump has the character of a radical reformist, who must break things in order to rebuild. He’s a property developer, who can only succeed by purchasing an old and out-dated building - demolishing it, while replacing it by constructing a bigger and more beautiful skyscraper.

 

That’s why Trump is taking a tough stand with China. He’s delivering a wrecking ball to China’s unfair trade policies and imbalanced trade. President Trump intends to restore a new order, as well as fix trade and investment relations with China. He can make US-China relations great again, but only if Beijing walks away from its bad behaviors.

 

Therefore, Witkoff can rush to the rescue if he’s appointed as lead negotiator for US side on upcoming trade talks with China. The Chinese care deeply about saving face and they struggle to adapt to President Trump’s tough guy persona.

 

Witkoff can personify the ‘good cop’ role and tell the Chinese to make a US-China deal without making them feel that Washington will force them to return to another “Century of Humiliation.”     


 (Tom Pauken II., author of US vs. China: From Trade Wars to Reciprocal Deal, AFAI Senior Fellow, Geopolitical Consultant based in Beijing, China) 

X:  @tmcgregochina    

 

Footnotes

 

X, “Arnaud Bertrand,”

 

 

Xinhua, “China assessing U.S. messages of hoping to hold tariff talks: commerce ministry,”

 

 

New York Post, “Protests erupt in China after furious workers demand back pay as Trump’s tariffs on imports jolt economy,”

 

 

Guardian, “Steve Witkoff: from property developer to global spotlight as Trump’s tough-talking troubleshooter,”

 

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