Scott Kennedy, a China trade and economics expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said on Wednesday that the negotiating teams were unfamiliar with each other. "It turns out the Chinese had pulled out an eraser and started taking back things that they had offered," said Kennedy. US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer released an official notice on Wednesday making the tariff increase a virtual fait accompli. Analysts say China will be reluctant to make many of these changes, which could undermine the Communist Party's political power. She also doubted the Chinese side had simply miscalculated the potential American reaction, adding that Liu, the Chinese trade envoy, likely still believed he could offer enough concessions to ensure a deal with the Americans.
