Oil prices rose by more than 1 percent early on Thursday after U.S. President Donald Trump said that the United States was very close to some sort of a deal with China and as the U.S. has reportedly offered China to roll back some existing tariffs and cancel a new round of tariffs set to take effect on December 15.
At 11:06 a.m. EDT on Thursday, WTI Crude was up 1 percent at US$59.35 and Brent Crude was trading up 1.13 percent at US$64.44.
China no longer believes President Trump’s word. Therefore, China will insist on a full lifting of tariffs on its exports before it adds its name to any deal with the United States.
According to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), the US has recently offered to reduce some of the current tariffs by as much as 50% if China pledges to buy big volumes of US agricultural products, protect US intellectual property rights, and allow more access to its financial services sector otherwise there would be no ‘phase one’ deal.
For such demands, China which will insist on the immediate lifting of all tariffs on its exports and non-interference by the United States in its affairs and Hong Kong's.
The ball is not in China’s court. It is actually in the United States’ court. China which has already won the trade war could easily outwait the United States on tariffs. China’s economy is 28% bigger than the United States’ based on purchasing power parity (PPP) and far more integrated in the global trade system thanks to its Belt & Road Initiative.
Dr Mamdouh G Salameh
International Oil Economist
Visiting Professor of Energy Economics at ESCP Europe Business School, London