Apologies to be back in your inbox but I left out a “not” that was kind of important…see in bold below—Bill

It is Valentine’s Day in Beijing and we all want to know how Liu He and Robert Lighthizer will spend the day together. Steven Mnuchin may be Liu’s for the taking but Liu knows Lighthizer is the one he has to woo until President Trump and General Secretary Xi meet again.

Trump said the March 1 deadline for the US-China trade talks could be extended. He wants a deal, Xi wants a deal, and the Trump Administration officials who want a deal that addresses the hard issues are increasingly uneasy. There may be some good media leaks soon as a result.

Xi will meet the US trade negotiating team this week. Given that Trump met Liu He in DC two weeks ago it would be a very bad sign if Xi did not reciprocate. Xi taking the meeting is certainly positive but should NOT be seen as evidence of any breakthrough.

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