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A2 UP FRONT
Friday 10 November 2017

Trump: Syria deal in the works ahead
US, China could solve world’s problems of likely Trump-Putin meeting

By JILL COLVIN tween the U.S. and China. sessment of China’s trade By JOSH LEDERMAN
JONATHAN LEMIRE But unlike his approach dur- surplus with the United MATTHEW LEE
Associated Press ing the campaign, when States, which in October Associated Press
BEIJING (AP) — President he castigated China for widened by 12.2 percent WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States and Russia are
Donald Trump set aside his what he contended were from a year earlier to $26.6 nearing an agreement on Syria for how they hope to
blistering rhetoric in favor of inappropriate trade prac- billion. The total surplus with resolve the Arab country’s civil war once the Islamic
friendly overtures to China tices, Trump said Thursday the United States for the irst State group is defeated, oficials said Thursday.
on Thursday, trying to latter that he didn’t blame the 10 months of the year was If clinched, the deal could be announced by President
his hosts into establishing a Chinese for having taken $223 billion. Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin af-
more balanced trade rela- advantage of the U.S. in “I think the best way to ter a meeting in Vietnam on Friday, four U.S. oficials
tionship and doing more to the past. characterize it is that while said. The United States has been reluctant to hold a
blunt North Korea’s nuclear Trump said China “must im- we appreciate the long formal meeting between the leaders unless they have
ambitions. mediately address the un- hours and the effort that a substantive agreement to announce.
Winding down his two days fair trade practices” that our Chinese counterparts The potential understanding comes as an array of
forces are near a inal defeat of IS, the extremist group
that once controlled vast stretches of both Iraq and
Syria. Fighting the group is no longer top priority, shift-
ing the focus back to Syria’s intractable conlict be-
tween President Bashar Assad’s government and reb-
els — and to concerns that foreign powers such as
Iran will now dominate the country’s future. The U.S.-
Russian agreement being discussed would focus on
three elements, oficials said: “deconliction” between
the U.S. and Russian militaries, reducing violence in the
civil war and reinvigorating U.N.-led peace talks. The
oficials weren’t authorized to discuss the deliberations
and requested anonymity. The U.S. and Russian militar-
ies have maintained a “deconliction” hotline for years
to avoid unintended collisions and even potential con-
frontations as they each operate in Syria’s crowded
skies. A heavy air campaign by Russia has been credit-
ed with shoring up the position of Assad, a close ally of
Moscow. With IS nearing defeat, the U.S. and Russia are
losing their common enemy in Syria and will remain in
a proxy battle in which Russia backs Assad and the U.S.
lends at least rhetorical support to armed opposition
groups ighting the government. That has increased
U.S. President Donald Trump and China’s President Xi Jinping attend at a state dinner at the Great the need for close communication between the two
Hall of the People in Beijing, China, Thursday, Nov. 9, 2017. powers about where their forces are operating at any
(Thomas Peter/Pool Photo via AP) given time, oficials said. The agreement also seeks to
build on progress in establishing “de-escalation zones”
in Beijing, Trump suggested drive a “shockingly” large have put into those trade in Syria that have calmed some parts of the country.
that if the U.S. and China trade deicit, along with discussions, quite frankly In July, when Trump held his irst meeting with Putin in
jointly took on the world’s barriers to market access, in the grand scheme of a Germany, the U.S. and Russia announced a deal that
problems, “I believe we forced technology trans- $300- to $500-billion trade included Jordan and established a cease-ire in south-
can solve almost all of fers and intellectual prop- deicit, the things that have west Syria. The United States has said that cease-ire
them, and probably all of erty theft. been achieved are pretty has largely held and could be replicated elsewhere in
them.” “But I don’t blame China,” small,” Tillerson told report- the country. A key U.S. concern, shared by close ally
In the name of furthering he said. “After all, who can ers in Beijing. Israel, is the presence of Iranian-backed militias in Syria
that relationship, Trump blame a country for being Tillerson also acknowl- that have exploited the vacuum of power. The United
largely shelved his cam- able to take advantage edged there were differ- States and Israel have been seeking ways to prevent
paign complaints about of another country for the ences in “tactics and the forces loyal to Iran — Israel’s archenemy — from estab-
China, at least in public. beneit of its citizens?” timing and how far to go lishing a permanent presence. One idea hinges on a
He focused on exhorting To applause, Trump said: “I with pressure” on North Ko- “buffer zone” along Israel’s border with Syria.
Beijing to help with North give China great credit.” rea. But he insisted that the A third element of the deal would reafirm support for
Korea, an effort expected Reacting from afar, Sen. two countries shared com- the United Nations effort being run out of Geneva to
again to take center stage Bob Menendez, D-N.J., said mon objectives. seek a political transition in Syria and resolve the civil
at an international summit Trump’s comments “make “There is no disagreement war. The United States and Russia have been at odds
in Vietnam on Friday. the United States look weak on North Korea,” he said. for years over whether Assad could be allowed to re-
The Chinese rolled out a and as if we are bowing to The comments by Trump main in power in a future Syrian government.
lavish welcome for the China’s whim. ... Instead and his top diplomat came The U.N. talks, which have come in its and starts with-
American president. Trump of giving China credit for after lengthy meetings out yielding signiicant progress, aren’t the only discus-
returned the kindness, stealing American jobs, the with Xi. The day included sions about Syria’s future. Russia, Turkey and Iran have
heaping praise on China’s president should be hold- announcements that the been brokering their own process in Astana, Kazakh-
Xi Jinping and predicting ing China accountable.” U.S. and China had signed stan. The U.S. views those talks warily because of Iran’s
the two powers would work Menendez, a member of agreements valued at involvement, though they’ve led to local cease-ire
around entrenched differ- the Senate Foreign Rela- more than $250 billion for deals that have reduced violence, too.
ences. tions Committee, is on trial products including U.S.- “We believe that the Geneva process is the right way
On trade, Trump criticized for bribery. made jet engines, auto to go,” State Department spokeswoman Heather Nau-
the “very one-sided and U.S. Secretary of State Rex parts, liqueied natural gas ert said Thursday. “Unfortunately, it is a long way off,
unfair” relationship be- Tillerson offered a blunt as- and beef. q but we’re getting a little bit closer.”q