KT McFarland previews new round of US-China trade talks: Tariffs and TikTok

'You have to deal with China from a position of strength' says ex-deputy national security adviser

U.S.-China trade talks will likely resume this weekend with discussions of lower tariffs and President Trump's order effectively banning TikTok, Former Deputy National Security Adviser KT McFarland told Fox Business Network's “Varney & Co.

“First, it will be about the phase one trade deal that the United States and China agreed to [in January],” she said. “Will the Chinese buy certain American goods? Will they limit some of the technology transfer theft that they've done? Will the United States reduce some of these sanctions?”

McFarland noted Trump has been treating China differently than he did before the coronavirus pandemic – approaching them from a "position of strength” in an attempt to achieve trade goals like reciprocated tariffs.

TRUMP: 'I VIEW CHINA DIFFERENTLY' SINCE CORONAVIRUS

“He's the first president who understood that you have to deal with China from a position of strength, not a position of weakness,” she said. “The tariff war was merely Trump ... saying, ‘Ok, now we have equal tariffs. Let's get the tariffs back down so that it's reciprocal.’”

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McFarland added that talks will include a “tough” conversation about Trump’s ban of TikTok and WeChat, which is due to take effect in September.

“China bans Google, Facebook, WeChat, so they already ban us there. They have a great firewall of China,” she said. “And Trump's just saying, ‘Let's have reciprocal. Let's all get rid of the bans together.'"

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