Trump Folds: Will Cancel New China Tariffs, Offers To Cut Existing Tariffs By 50% In Exchange For Pledges

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“Trump Folds: Will Cancel New China Tariffs, Offers To Cut 

by Tyler Durden

“And just like that, confirming weeks of media speculation, Trump has folded with the Dow Jones/WSJ reporting that not only will Trump not impose the new tariffs set to come into effect on Dec 15, but will cut existing tariffs by up to 50%.

• U.S. Negotiators Offer to Cut Existing Tariff Rates by up to 50% on $360 Billion of Chinese Imports 

• U.S. Negotiators Also Offer to Cancel New China Tariffs Set to Take Effect on Dec. 15 

• President Trump will Hold Meeting Thursday to Discuss China Trade 

Moments before the WSJ report, Trump wrote in a Tweet: “Getting VERY close to a BIG DEAL with China. They want it and so do we!”

So what does Trump get in return for folding like a cheap chair? Why pledges to buy more agri products, pledges which apparently are not even enforceable as they are merely “firm commitments”, in other words taking China for its word:

According to the WSJ, the tariff-reduction offer was made in the past five days or so, and in exchange, the U.S. side has demanded that Beijing make firm commitments to purchase large quantities of U.S. agricultural and other products, to better protect U.S. intellectual-property rights and to allow greater access to China’s financial-services sector. Just one problem: this is where China balked in the past when told to make an uinbreakable pledge, and this time was no different. Curiously, a mere pledge was enough for Trump this time. That said, as the WSJ adds, “should China not carry out its pledges as part of the potential deal, the tariff rates would return to their original levels, a clause known in trade negotiations as a “snapback” provision.”

Sure enough, according to the report, “Chinese negotiators have balked at Washington’s request that Beijing guarantee its pledge to buy more U.S. soybeans, poultry and other products, saying doing so would run counter to the rules of the World Trade Organization.”

In any event, some sort of “deal”, in which the US gets a promise from China to buy more pork – which it desperately needs anyway thanks to its pig hyperinflation – is now virtually certain: “Trade teams from both sides are maintaining close communications,” Gao Feng, spokesman at China’s Commerce Ministry, said at a news briefing Thursday. He didn’t provide any additional information.

-https://www.zerohedge.com/