China

“The country will take targeted measures to support the development of private enterprises, accelerate the clearing of ‘zombie enterprises,’ effectively handle trade frictions and keep employment, the financial sector, foreign trade, foreign and domestic investments, and expectations stable.”

“When you hear the words and deeds of the U.S. on the status of developing countries in the WTO ... [t]hey further reveal how capricious, arrogant and selfish the country is,” a Chinese official said.

“Trade disputes may be symptoms of deeper frustration with gaps in the rules-based multilateral trading system. Policymakers should cooperatively address these gaps.”

President Trump is holding China accountable for its failure to deliver on promised agricultural purchases as the two sides resume talks, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said on Tuesday.

In a separate opinion issued as part of a World Trade Organization Appellate Body report, one of the body’s three members excoriated the other two members for their ruling in a case between the U.S. and China over countervailing duties the Commerce Department imposed on certain Chinese goods, claiming the body engaged in overreach, fact-finding, relied on precedent and created new obligations for members.

The administration’s “inconsistent and hasty explanations” for the lack of Chinese purchases are hurting farmers, Kind said.

Securing commitments from China and determining logistics for in-person negotiations will likely dominate this week’s principal-level phone call between Washington and Beijing, according to sources familiar with the talks.

“I’m concerned that you are once again not being honest with American farmers,” Baldwin said in a letter to Trump.

Kudlow: “In return for no additional tariffs and in return for a little opening with Huawei – not national security sales, but general sales – we expect – I want to emphasize this – we expect China to be buying some U.S. farm products.”