White House National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett always does a good job of framing the current status without impeding the negotiating strategy of the White House trade delegation.
In this morning’s interview, happy Hassett outlines the motivation for China to quickly get to an agreement on principle about their U.S. trade position, and the structure of the personnel who are present on Beijing’s behalf to organize the discussion. As noted earlier, Bessent and Greer were very careful in their language to promote positive advancement of agreement to the framework but avoid calling the outcome of the discussions a completed deal.
Hassett encapsulates the current trade status with China and other nations. WATCH:
.
No doubt President Trump is leaning back a little following the White House statement. The Chinese announcements are not as forcefully positive as the White House ‘headline’ press release. There’s a disconnect afoot that needs to be reconciled quickly or it makes the White House look weak while cunning panda smiles.
It would be surprising to see an actual “trade agreement” with China, before the commitments from ASEAN countries to stop transnational shipping exploitation are in place.
