There is an assessment that the reason why the United States and China are not easily entering into dialogue amidst escalating trade conflicts is that U.S. President Donald Trump wants a direct deal with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The political media outlet Politico reported on the 19th local time that President Trump is insisting on one-on-one talks with President Xi, and this is hindering other diplomatic efforts to halt the escalation of the trade war between the two countries.
According to the report, President Trump has not appointed anyone to lead discussions with China, and the White House has not attempted to initiate dialogue with the Chinese Embassy in the United States.
The media particularly noted that President Trump has not approved a White House delegation to seek tension relief with Chinese officials in Beijing.
Contrary to President Trump’s confident public statements about reaching an agreement with China, there have been no substantial dialogues between the two countries.
Ryan Hass from the Brookings Institution stated, “The reason informal diplomatic channels are not working is that President Trump does not want them to,” and “Trump wants to deal directly with President Xi, as he did with (Russian) President Putin.”
White House officials refuted the allegation that the White House is blocking U.S.-China talks.
Brian Hughes, spokesperson for the National Security Council (NSC), said, “Various contacts continue at the staff and senior staff levels, and as the President stated, we welcome dialogue with China.”
However, there is concern in China that if President Xi were to engage in direct talks with President Trump, they might lose an advantage in negotiations and that Trump might turn the summit into a public spectacle, making China reluctant to agree to one-on-one talks.
Hass added, “After the Zelensky incident, China is very wary of the risk of President Xi being humiliated, losing face, or becoming part of a failed agreement in front of the world.”
Previously, during a meeting at the White House in February, President Trump harshly rebuked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who did not comply with his demands, in front of cameras, then unilaterally ended the meeting and kicked him out of the White House.