With fierce China critic Peter Navarro off the Trump trip list, how will Beijing fare in trade talks?
The man once described as Trump’s most powerful economist has been sidelined in favour of ‘more pragmatic and realistic’ China detractors
Peter Navarro, an outspoken China critic who has advocated a trade war with Beijing, is so far not on the list of Washington delegates travelling with US President Donald Trump this week on his first state visit to China.
But that does not necessarily mean Beijing will be in a better negotiating position in trade talks with the US, according to pundits.
What it does confirm is that the man once described as possibly the most powerful economist on Trump’s policy team has been sidelined for a while.
The key players in US economic policy with China – US Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer – all “hold strong views against China, but they are more pragmatic and realistic” in handling economic issues with Beijing, according to a former US economic official who agreed to speak only on condition of anonymity.
Navarro was Trump’s economic adviser during last year’s US presidential election campaign. Known for books such as Death by China and The Coming China Wars, he has claimed China is stealing US jobs and has advocated draconian actions against Beijing, including a trade war.