The Wall Street Journal with a take on the new tensions in US - China trade talks.

  • The hardened battle lines were prompted by Beijing's decision to take a more aggressive stance in negotiations, according to the people following the talks. They said Beijing was emboldened by the perception that the U.S. was ready to compromise. In particular, these people said, Mr. Trump's hectoring of Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell to cut interest rates was seen in Beijing as evidence that the president thought the U.S. economy was more fragile than he claimed.

Really? Maybe its just me but I ain't buying that.

And, this:

  • High-level negotiations are scheduled to resume Thursday in Washington, but the expectations and the stakes have changed significantly. A week ago, the assumption was that negotiators would be closing the deal. Now, they are trying to keep it from collapsing.

Not buying that either. Both sides want a deal. it might be a whole lot of nothingburger (what I expect) but it'll be something. Xi wants the US market for China's exports. Trump wants a deal to parade for his re-election hopes.

Article is here is for more.

Mnuchin Liu He Lighthizer

He: "Don't step in that!"

Mnuchin: "Who brought the dog?"

Lighthizer: "I'm going this way."