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How the trade deal collapsed

A last-minute change of direction by President Xi Jinping of China is what outraged President Trump and upended their countries’ trade talks, Chris Buckley and Keith Bradsher of the NYT report, citing more than a dozen interviews.

• “By May 1, Mr. Xi had demanded a substantial recast of the embryonic agreement that his chief negotiator, Liu He, had been haggling over for months with Mr. Trump’s team.”

• “The changes were discussed with other Communist Party leaders, which brought into focus worries that the proposed deal could make Mr. Xi and the party look as if they were bowing to pressure.”

• “Soon after, the Chinese negotiators sent their American counterparts a version of the draft agreement in a Microsoft Word document, speckled with cuts and changes.”