Asia

Trump tweets: “Talks with China are going very well!”

“We need a whole-of-government technology strategy to protect U.S. competitiveness in emerging and dual-use technologies and address the Chinese threat by combating technology transfer from the United States.”

White House adviser Kevin Hassett on Thursday said he expected U.S. companies doing business in China to downgrade earnings projections until the U.S. and China agreed to de-escalate trade tensions.

“Falls within the pattern of this administration giving short-shrift to transparency in trade negotiations. These objectives fall woefully short of explaining the administration’s specific objectives and how they will benefit the United States.”

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative last week released a list of more than 30 products it will exclude from 25 percent tariffs on $34 billion in Chinese imports, marking the first exemptions granted from Section 301 restrictions the U.S. imposed last year.

“We’ve come too far in improving Louisiana’s economy, creating more opportunity and more prosperity, to let this get in the way of continued progress.”

GENEVA -- As World Trade Organization members look for a breakthrough amid an existential crisis -- perhaps the most serious the body has ever faced -- some believe the key to making progress on a host of issues it's facing is the outcome of bilateral talks between the U.S. and China.

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative on Friday released a summary of negotiating objectives it intends to pursue in upcoming talks with Japan, starting the clock for formal negotiations to begin as soon as late January.

In October, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said “we would expect to have an equal or better deal than Japan gave the European Union regarding agriculture.”