Bloomberg: Trump Eases China Stance to Pave Way for Xi Meeting

By Staff, Agencies

US President Donald Trump has softened his hardline approach toward China in hopes of securing a summit with President Xi Jinping and reaching a trade deal, Bloomberg reported Wednesday, citing sources familiar with the matter.

The shift comes after a “positive” meeting last week in Malaysia between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Both sides signaled a strong desire for a leadership summit, with Beijing calling the talks “pragmatic and constructive.”

According to Bloomberg, Trump is now more focused on signing purchase agreements and scoring short-term wins rather than addressing structural issues behind the US-China trade imbalance. This marks a departure from his earlier strategy, which relied heavily on sweeping tariffs.

In April, Trump slapped duties on imports from more than 90 countries, including China. Beijing responded with its own tariffs, escalating the trade war to a peak of 145% US tariffs and 125% Chinese tariffs. While May talks in Geneva led to a temporary pause in new tariffs, tensions remain high as an August 12 snapback deadline looms.

Speaking Tuesday, Trump said the US was engaging with China “in a very friendly fashion,” hinting at a preference for diplomacy over escalation. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also suggested the tariff deadline could be pushed back by up to three months to allow more time for negotiations.

Bloomberg notes that Trump’s pivot has stirred divisions within his team. Some advisers want a tougher approach, while others are backing more flexible strategies—particularly in tech.

In a recent reversal, the US cleared chipmaker Nvidia to resume sales of its scaled-down H20 chips to China. The move drew criticism from hawks but was defended by Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and tech adviser David Sacks, who argued that limited sales could help the US maintain influence over Chinese AI development. “You want to sell the Chinese enough that their developers get addicted to the American technology stack,” Lutnick said.