White House National Economic Council Director Larry Kudlow said China has not responded “at all” to U.S. demands that Beijing address the Trump administration’s accusations that China engages in widespread intellectual property theft. | Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images Kudlow: Chinese leader doesn’t want a trade deal

White House National Economic Council Director Larry Kudlow said Chinese President Xi Jinping is showing no signs of wanting to compromise on U.S. trade demands and said the onus is on Beijing to try to reach a deal.

“I don’t think President Xi at the moment has any intention of following through on the discussions we made, and I think the president is so dissatisfied with China on these so-called talks that he is keeping the pressure on, and I support that,” Kudlow said Wednesday morning at the Delivering Alpha conference.


Kudlow said China has not responded “at all” to U.S. demands that Beijing address the Trump administration’s accusations that China engages in widespread intellectual property theft and forced transfer of technology. The U.S. has already hit $34 billion worth of Chinese imports with tariffs and is considering penalties on an additional $200 billion worth of Chinese goods.

“We are waiting for him,” Kudlow said of the Chinese leader. “The ball is in his court and the tit-for-tat business, which is nobody’s favorite path, but nonetheless they can end that this afternoon by providing a more satisfactory approach.”

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Kudlow also said he has been told that European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker will bring a “very important free trade offer” when he visits Trump in Washington next week. The EU is considering how to negotiate a trade deal on automobiles with the world’s major auto producers as a way to avoid Trump’s threatened 20 percent tariff on auto imports.

Kudlow said German Chancellor Angela Merkel “has been working on that, shaking up the EU.”

“The president has put things on the table,” he said. “The Europeans are looking at them, and we may be pleasantly surprised. If not a factual deal … then at least good solid negotiations on these topics.”