Michael Pillsbury, an occasional adviser to the Trump administration, insists that while Trump “has more guns” he also has a more pragmatic view of China than his aides and is still eager to cut a deal. “The key is to get the message to Xi, and not with a blunderbuss,” Pillsbury said.
The tariff talks also have resulted in a falling growth rate for China’s GDP, which Pillsbury said is a good thing because it shows China is getting the message.
“Trump does not see China as an enemy,” said Michael Pillsbury, a scholar of the Chinese military at the Hudson Institute who has informally advised the White House. “In fact, he has shown remarkable restraint when it comes to China.”
Michael Pillsbury, a China expert at the Hudson Institute, said that leaving more uncertainty in the agreement could foster more trade fights between the world’s two largest economies, particularly given a complex enforcement mechanism the two sides previously agreed to establish to ensure both countries lived up the agreement.