Bureaucratic delays threaten Trump-Xi trade talks ahead of November deadline

President Donald Trump is set to welcome Chinese President Xi Jinping at the White House within four weeks, a summit scheduled before the existing U.S.-China trade truce lapses in the second week of November. During Trump’s May visit to Beijing, the two leaders pledged to establish bilateral trade and investment boards aimed at lowering barriers and addressing security concerns. However, the boards have made little headway, with both sides yet to agree on their coverage and no implementation plan in place.

The article warns that continued bureaucratic inertia could prevent an extension of the truce and undermine a potential new economic partnership. It calls for the boards to convene before the September meeting and to set industry whitelists, including opening U.S. pharma and financial services to China and easing export controls on advanced chips. The piece concludes that the September summit may be the last opportunity to secure a deal before the trade truce expires, after which later meetings in Shenzhen and Miami would occur under a stalled framework.