Washington and Beijing are on a “creeping path towards some kind of a deal”, former US ambassador to China Nicholas Burns said on Tuesday, while offering some rare support for US President Donald Trump’s tariff strategy towards China.
Burns, who served as envoy to Beijing under former president Joe Biden from 2022 until this year, told a crowd at the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado that both sides had strong economic incentives to reach a trade agreement. He also pushed back against the argument made by some critics of Trump’s trade policy that China had the upper hand in negotiations.
“It’s a symbiotic relationship,” Burns said, pointing to the presence of more than 10,000 American companies in China and the US’ role as China’s largest export market. “Logic and self-interest will lead both of them towards the deal.”
Burns’ remarks at the high-profile national security conference come as the two countries are in the middle of a 90-day trade truce, with an August deadline to reach a more durable deal. Earlier in the year, the Trump administration had raised tariffs to as high as 145 per cent on Chinese goods, prompting Beijing to respond with its own steep levies on US imports.
Last week, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met in Malaysia on the sidelines of an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) gathering, with both sides later describing the meeting as “constructive”.
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China GDP figures beat market forecasts despite looming US tariff risks
China GDP figures beat market forecasts despite looming US tariff risks
Burns praised US negotiators on Tuesday, calling Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent “impressive” in his discussions with Chinese Vice-Premier He Lifeng.
