CNN’s Matt Rivers: China Sending Top Official to DC To Resume Trade Talks Shows They Are ‘Blinking’

‘Sending their top negotiator means they’re serious about that’

EXCERPT:

RIVERS: "Alisyn, China announced that the vice premier would, in fact, be going to Washington this week after there was some speculation that he would cancel the trip. Given what the President tweeted on Sunday, given the harsher words out of D.C., there was some talk that Beijing would cancel the Chinese delegation's trip to D.C., but it is going forward as planned. And as you said, it is an attempt by the Chinese to get these trade talks back on track. But make no mistake about it. In this game of last-minute brinksmanship between China and the U.S., at least for now, this is China blinking. Had China chosen not to send a delegation to the U.S. this week, that would have meant a deal was off for a long time. So by sending their chief economic negotiator to D.C., I think that shows you that China wants a deal to happen. They don’t want tariffs to go up, they're nervous about that. And I think they’re taking the president and his advisers at their word, that tariffs would go up on Friday. I think there was some thought here in Beijing — they were surprised at what the president said, they weren’t expecting it, but they do want to get a deal done and sending their top negotiator means they’re serious about that."

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