Trump to pursue far more aggressive trade policy with China
'Donald Trump will accuse China of engaging in "economic aggression" when he unveils his national security strategy on Monday, in a strong sign that he has become frustrated at his inability to use his bond with China's President Xi Jinping to convince Beijing to address his trade concerns.'
'"The national security strategy is likely to define China as a competitor in every realm. Not just a competitor but a threat, and therefore, in the view of many in this administration, an adversary," said one person. "This is not something that they just cooked up. Mar-a-Lago interrupted the campaign rhetoric, and Xi Jinping took a little gamble and came here and embraced Trump. Trump said 'fine, do something on North Korea and on trade', but that didn't work out so well."
'Some people familiar with the strategy said it would be the most aggressive economic response to China's rise since 2001 when the US backed its entry into the World Trade Organisation. It points to the waning influence of Gary Cohn, the White House National Economic Council head who many people believe will leave the administration next year, and the growing power of Robert Lighthizer, the US trade representative, and other China hawks in the administration.'
