The agreement could reportedly be part of a broader accord negotiated directly with Chinese President Xi Jinping
US President Donald Trump is seeking to strike a broad agreement with China that includes nuclear weapons security, the New York Times reported on Wednesday, citing White House advisers.
According to the NYT, the desired deal would extend beyond trade relations, incorporating substantial Chinese investments and commitments to purchase more American goods. It should also address nuclear security – an issue Trump intends to discuss personally with Chinese President Xi Jinping, “more than half a dozen” current and former Trump advisers told the outlet.
Michael Pillsbury, a China expert who advised Trump during his first-term trade negotiations, told the NYT that Trump had shared with him “a few months ago” his desire to secure a deal with Xi “that benefits both sides.”
Significant obstacles remain, according to the advisers, particularly as the Trump administration has yet to clearly define what it wants from Beijing.
China remains one of the ”biggest national security threats” to the US but is also a major trading partner and a pivotal actor on a range of issues, including nuclear security, technology and pandemic preparedness.
The Pentagon has said recently that China is the main defense priority for the US, describing it as a “peer competitor” with both the capability and intent to threaten US national interests in the Indo-Pacific region.
Last week, Trump told reporters at the White House he had proposed talks with China and Russia to discuss reducing all three nations’ nuclear stockpiles and cutting defense budgets in half. He said he hoped to meet with Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin “when things calm down.”
According to the NYT, some Chinese analysts have downplayed the likelihood of a deal as the country’s officials remain cautious about Trump and expect tensions to continue. However, they’ve been reportedly working on a proposal that could bring the US president back to the table.
Relations between the two countries worsened during Trump’s first term, escalating into a trade war, after he imposed billions in tariffs on Chinese goods in 2018, citing unfair trade practices and intellectual property theft. China retaliated with its own levies on American exports, deepening the standoff. In early 2020, both sides reached a Phase One trade deal, but many commitments fell short, partly due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Trump has recently imposed new tariffs on key trade partners, including a 10% duty on Chinese imports on top of existing levies. China strongly opposed the move, retaliating with tariffs on key US exports while urging Washington to return to negotiations.
Both China and Russia have expressed a willingness to collaborate with the US regarding nuclear disarmament. Beijing has reaffirmed its “no first use” policy in response to Trump’s reported proposal of future nuclear talks.
Russia’s deputy UN ambassador, Dmitry Polyansky, has said that substantive discussions on disarmament could restart if Washington shifts its stance. The last binding bilateral nuclear arms treaty between the US and Russia is set to expire next year.
