American business leaders are increasingly concerned that Donald Trump may strike a rapid deal with Beijing on reducing the US trade deficit and fail to address long-running complaints over China’s caps on foreign ownership and weak intellectual property protection.
The fears have surfaced as Liu He, Xi Jinping’s economic tsar, is expected in Washington for trade talks this week following the visit by an American delegation to Beijing this month.
“China and the United States are working well together on trade, but past negotiations have been so one sided in favour of China, for so many years, that it is hard for them to make a deal that benefits both countries,” Mr Trump tweeted on Sunday. “But be cool, it will all work out!”