Pence dampens expectations for US-China deal at G20 summit

China must commit to fundamental changes in its behaviour if it wants to avoid a cold war-style scenario with the United States, said Vice President Mike Pence in an interview with the Washington Post.

“I think much of that will depend on Argentina,” said Pence, referring to the upcoming meeting between President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping at the G20 leaders’ summit. “The president’s attitude is, we want to make sure they know where we stand, what we are prepared to do, so they can come to Argentina with concrete proposals that address not just the trade deficit that we face… We’re convinced China knows where we stand.”

China must also address grievances related to intellectual property theft, technology transfer, market access and military tensions in the Pacific region, said Pence.

“We really believe we are in a strong position either way. We are at $250 billion [in tariffs] now; we can more than double that,” Pence said. “I don’t think it’s a matter of promises. We’re looking for results. We’re looking for a change of posture.”