IT SOUNDS ODD, but hints keep piling up that President Donald Trump is tempted by a big, beautiful deal with China’s Xi Jinping. That runs counter to campaign-trail vows to hit China with crippling tariffs. A great-power bargain that Mr Xi could accept—perhaps bundling economic trade-offs with a divvying-up of the world into spheres of influence—would surely outrage hawkish Trump aides, from the national security adviser, Mike Waltz, to the secretary of state, Marco Rubio. Congress would be appalled and allies in Europe and Asia aghast. And yet, Mr Trump keeps signalling that he is in dealmaking mode. He has invited China to help with peacemaking in Ukraine, says he would rather not impose swingeing Chinese tariffs and questioned whether TikTok, a Chinese-owned app, really harms American national security.
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