Trump has repeatedly said he is getting ready to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Osaka summit at the end of June, but China has not confirmed it. On Monday, Trump said he was ready to impose another round of punitive tariffs on Chinese imports if he cannot make progress in trade talks with Xi in Osaka. “China does not want to fight a trade war, but we are not afraid of fighting a trade war,” he said, adding China’s door was open to talks based on equality. “If the United States only wants to escalate trade frictions, we will resolutely respond and fight to the end.”Tensions between Washington and Beijing rose sharply in May after the Trump administration accused China of having reneged on promises to make structural economic changes during months of trade talks. The United States is seeking sweeping changes, including an end to forced technology transfers and theft of US trade secrets.

Source: The Express Tribune June 11, 2019 15:30 UTC