President Donald Trump on Friday downplayed a revenue warning by Apple Inc and said slowing economic growth in China puts the United States in a strong position as negotiators from the world's two largest economies prepare for trade talks next week.
Trump has slapped import tariffs on hundreds of billions of dollars of Chinese goods as he seeks concessions from Beijing on issues ranging from industrial subsidies to hacking. China has retaliated. The tit-for-tat tariffs have disrupted trade, hurt manufacturing, roiled international markets and slowed the global economy.
US officials are heading to Beijing next week for the first face-to-face talks since Trump and President Xi Jinping in December agreed to a 90-day truce in the trade war as they sought to strike a deal. "I think we will make a deal with China," Trump told reporters at the White House after a meeting with Democratic and Republican lawmakers. "I really think they want to. I think they sort of have to."