Report in the South China Morning Post
China has been lobbying the EU, Germany, Britain, France and Italy to asses their response of US-China talks break down this weekend, according to a report in the South China Morning Post.
"Chinese diplomats were very eager to engage officials in Europe ahead of the summit - from London to Brussels to the UN headquarters in New York," one of the sources told the South China Morning Post. "They gave an impression that China and Europe could somehow work together to keep Trump at the table."
The story gives the impression that China is weary of Trump walking out of the room and starting a war of words.
It also highlights that the UK and Italy are seeking closer ties with China while others in Europe are skeptical.
For me, there are two ways to read this: 1) That China is preparing for anything, which is a good plan with Trump. 2) That China has some indication that Trump could walk away, in part because they're not preparing to put anything new on the table.
I lean towards the second option.
