Heres how China agreed to come to the table on Trumps tariffs – National [Video]

Since U.S. President Donald Trump imposed steep tariffs on China last month, Beijing has responded in kind. On state and social media, it posted images of Mao Zedong, lambasted “imperialists,” and sent a message: capitulation to bullies is dangerous, and it wouldn’t back down.

But behind closed doors, Chinese officials have grown increasingly alarmed about tariffs’ impact on the economy and the risk of isolation as China’s trading partners have started negotiating deals with Washington, according to three officials familiar with Beijing’s thinking.

These factors, along with outreach by the U.S. and an easing of Trump’s rhetoric, persuaded Beijing to send its economic tsar He Lifeng for meetings with U.S. counterparts in Switzerland this weekend, the officials told Reuters.

Re-engagement was complicated by the fractious nature of U.S.-China diplomacy. In particular, Beijing considered a letter the U.S. side sent to Chinese ministries in late April about fentanyl “arrogant,” two officials said. Efforts to arrange talks were further impaired by disagreements over which officials …