As the US – China trade negotiations enter a critical period, Congress has warned the Trump administration that any trade deal with China should secure substantive policy changes.
US President Trump recently said he may meet Chinese President Xi Jinping to announce a deal next month. But there is growing concern in Congress that he will fail to resolve underlying disagreements over intellectual property and unfair trading practices.
At a House Ways and Means Committee hearing on Tuesday, both Republican and Democrat lawmakers urged the Trump administration's top negotiator Robert Lighthizer to continue to take a tough approach.
"This administration has chosen to take a path of high-risk confrontation," said Rep Richard Neal, a Democrat who represents Massachusetts. "It must hold out for a good deal."
Trump initiated the trade war in 2017 citing unfair trading practices, including accusations that Chinese companies were stealing intellectual property from American firms by forcing them to transfer technology to China.
As reported, the American president has also threatened further tariffs on an additional $267bn worth of Chinese products, which would see virtually all Chinese imports into the US become subject to duties.
