The #2 story on the WashPost's homepage argues that based on the joint U.S.-China statement released Saturday, "China looks as if it's winning President Trump's trade skirmish — so far."
Be smart: Axios' Jonathan Swan analyzes the Trump administration's weekend trade moves on China in a pithy tweet, "The bark to bite ratio is currently about 85:1."
Here's the case by WaPo's economics correspondent Heather Long:
- "Notice China didn't agree to a specific amount."
- The statement was "brief and lackluster" on intellectual property theft.
- Fox Business host Lou Dobbs: “Chinese say 'no deal.'"
- "China's 'concessions' are things it planned to do anyway."
- "The United States agreed to suspend tariffs."
- "Zero curbs on China's high-tech plans."
"Trump’s tough-guy persona is taking a beating from China," says a story at the top of the Post's print front page, by David J. Lynch:
- "The former business executive, who prides himself on his negotiating savvy, is facing criticism for bending to the Chinese government, ... alarming longtime supporters who had welcomed his call for a more confrontational approach to Beijing."
- "Administration officials ... scrambled to cast the Chinese talks as a victory, while some staunch Trump supporters questioned whether Trump had blinked in the first major confrontation with China."
Go deeper: Swan examined this weekend announcements in-depth last night.
