Trade War Clouds Outlook as Finance Chiefs Meet in Japan

As the Trump administration prepares to expand retaliatory tariff hikes of up to 25% to another $300 billion of Chinese products, Beijing has sought to highlight China's capacity to endure and overcome hardship. Yi told Bloomberg Television in an interview broadcast Friday that he expected the meeting with Mnuchin to be "difficult." But he said China's central bank, the People's Bank of China, had plenty of room to maneuver to help keep the economy growing despite the pounding the country's export manufacturers are taking as the toll from higher tariffs mounts. Speaking Thursday in France, Trump said he plans to make a decision about ramping up tariffs on China after speaking with Xi at the summit in Osaka at the month's end. "I will make that decision I would say over the next two weeks -- probably right after the G-20," he said. The Trump administration began slapping tariffs on imports of Chinese goods nearly a year ago, accusing China of resorting to predatory tactics to give Chinese companies an edge in advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence, robotics and electric vehicles.