BLACK-AND-WHITE TERMS, NO, NO,
NO, IT'S EVERYTHING OR IT IS
NOTHING.
LET'S BRING IN OUR PANEL.
EDWARD LAWRENCE, MICHELLE
McKINNON AND DAVE NAGY.
EDWARD, YOUR THOUGHTS ON NO
MIDDLE GROUND THE PRESIDENT IS
LAYING OUT HERE.
THAT TAPE IS GOING TO BE THERE.
WE ARE GOING TO KEEP GOING BACK
TO THAT BECAUSE IT'S THE
STRONGEST HE'S EVER BEEN ON THIS
ISSUE.
IT'S ALL OR NOTHING.
>> AND CONSISTENT WITH THE
ADMINISTRATION, U.S. TRADE
REPRESENTATIVE ROBERT LIGHTHIZER
SAYS HE DOES NOT WANT A PARTIAL
DEAL, HE'S WORKING TOWARDS A
FULL DEAL ON THIS.
THEY WOULD LIKE TO SEE
EVERYTHING INCLUDED IN THIS.
IT'S INTERESTING, YOU SAY
AMERICAN COMPANIES ARE PAYING
THESE TARIFFS.
437 OF THOSE COMPANIES NOW DON'T
HAVE TO PAY AS MANY, THAT'S THE
NEW ITEMS THAT HAVE BEEN
EXCLUDED FROM THIS LIST.
IT'S A LARGE AMOUNT OF ITEMS --
NEIL: CHRISTMAS LIGHTS ARE NOW
SAVED, PATIO TORCHES ARE SAVED,
SKATEBOARDS.
I KNOW YOU'RE BIG INTO THAT.
>> BACK IN MY YOUNGER DAYS.
ELECTRIC TRUCKS THAT ARE
SELF-PROPELLED ELECTRIC TRUCKS
WHICH IS SOMETHING AMAZON SAID
THEY WILL GO TOWARDS.
THAT'S ALSO EXEMPTED NOW.
SOME BIG ITEMS, IT BASICALLY
GUTS A LOT OF THE TARIFFS THAT
ARE IN PLACE.
THIS IS THE CONCESSIONS THAT THE
CHINESE WERE LOOKING FOR.
OUR CHINESE SOURCES WERE SAYING
THAT GOING INTO THIS WEEK THEY
WERE LOOKING FOR DISCUSSIONS ON
ROLLING BACK SOME OF THE TARIFFS
AND THIS COULD BE SEEN AS
ROLLING BACK SOME OF THE
TARIFFS.
NOW OUR CHINESE SOURCES ARE
SAYING THAT POSSIBLY WE COULD
NOW SEE ANOTHER ANNOUNCEMENT OF
A LARGE AGRICULTURE BUY EITHER
LATER ON TODAY WHEN THE
STATEMENT COMES OUT RELATED TO
HOW THESE TALKS WENT, OR NEXT
WEEK WHEN THE SMALLER PART OF
THAT GROUP THAT'S HERE IN
WASHINGTON, D.C. OR THAT IS IN
WASHINGTON, D.C. GOES TO THE
FARM COUNTRIES AND VISITS FARMS.
NEIL: YOU KNOW, IT'S ONE THING
FOR THE CHINESE TO SAY THEY WILL
BUY MORE AGRICULTURAL GOODS.
THEY DON'T.
ISN'T THAT THE THING THAT MADE
THE LAST DEAL FALL APART,
BECAUSE THEY SAY THEY ARE GOING
TO DO SOMETHING BUT THEY DON'T?
>> HERE'S THE THING, KIND OF TO
YOUR POINT OF THE ALL OR THE
NOTHING.
THE WAY I'M LOOKING AT IT AS
YES, OBVIOUSLY THE U.S. ECONOMY
IS MUCH STRONGER THAN CHINA AT
THE MOMENT BUT I THINK BOTH
PARTIES ARE NOW LOOKING WELL,
HOLD ON A MINUTE, WE HAVE A LOT
TO LOSE AND I THINK YOU WON'T
NECESSARILY GET A TRADE DEAL BUT
I WOULDN'T BE SURPRISED IF WE
GET SOME TYPE OF CEASE-FIRE
SHORTLY.
NEIL: I WONDER IF THESE
OVERTURES ARE A STEP IN THAT
DIRECTION.
THE CHINESE ALREADY INDICATED
LAST WEEK SOME ITEMS WE WERE
TARGETING WERE EXEMPT.
I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT A LOT OF
THEM WERE, PROCESSING OILS FOR
FUEL WIDGETS OR SOMETHING LIKE
THAT, WHATEVER, BUT THEY DID
THAT, WE DO THIS, IN OTHER
WORDS, GOOD FAITH GESTURES AND
THAT IS A LITTLE DIFFERENT THAN
PRIOR TALKS, TO EDWARD' POINT,
THAT MIGHT BE SETTING UP
SOMETHING.
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
>> I THINK SO.
KEEP IN MIND, YOU SAID IT'S
BLACK AND WHITE, WHAT HE SAID.
WHAT HE SAID IS VERY BLACK AND
WHITE EXCEPT WHEN HE SAYS ALL OR
NOTHING, IT'S KIND OF LIKE
WHAT'S THE DEFINITION OF ALL,
RIGHT, BECAUSE TRADE
NEGOTIATIONS ARE SHOCKINGLY
COMPLEX.
EDWARD CAN TICK OFF THREE OR
FOUR THINGS, THIS KIND OF MEANS
ALL, BUT THEN YOU GO KIND OF,
YOU KNOW, THIS IS THE KIND OF
THE CLOUD THAT HAS NO REAL
BORDER OF EXACTLY WHAT'S
INCLUDED IN THOSE ELEMENTS.
NEIL: YOU DON'T DEAL WITH
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY, THOUGH,
THE STEALING PART.
>> I AGREE WITH THAT.
NEIL: IF THAT'S NOT INCLUDED,
THERE WILL BE ENTERPRISING AND
OBNOXIOUS JOURNALISTS LIKE
EDWARD WHO WILL BE STICKLERS FOR
DETAIL AND SAY WAIT A MINUTE,
YOU DIDN'T DO THAT, RIGHT?
>> THERE ARE, BUT WHAT WILL IT
MEAN?
I DON'T THINK ANY OF US COULD
SIT ON THIS PANEL AND SAY THIS
IS WHAT DEALING WITH
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY THEFT WILL
MEAN.
RIGHT?
IT BECOMES VERY EASY FOR BOTH
SIDES IN THIS TO ULTIMATELY
PROCLAIM VICTORY, WHEN THEY
DECIDE THEY KIND OF WANT TO PLAY
NICE, NEED TO PLAY NICE, IT'S
NOT HARD AND EDWARD CAN PICK IT
APART.
I'M NOT SURE THAT THAT 300 SOME
ODD MILLION AMERICANS WILL SIT
THERE AND SAY I REALLY
UNDERSTAND THAT THAT'S NOT
REALLY A VICTORY.
NEIL: I KNOW A LOT OF VIEWERS
WHO DON'T PUT A FINAL STAMP ON
SOMETHING UNTIL THEY HEAR IT
FROM SOMEONE.
SO IF WE ARE NOT QUITE DOTTING
THE Is, CROSSING THE Ts ON THE
CHINESE TRYING TO PLAY FAST AND
LOOSE WITH OUR COMPANIES THAT DO
BUSINESS OVER THERE, HOW WILL
THAT BE TREATED?
>> I DON'T THINK THAT'S GOING TO
HAPPEN.
I REALLY DON'T.
I THINK THAT ROBERT LIGHTHIZER,
THE ENTIRE ADMINISTRATION HAS
BEEN VERY CLEAR IN ONE VOICE
THAT THEY ARE GOING TO PROTECT
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY.
THEY ARE GOING TO MAKE SURE
THERE IS SOME ENFORCEMENT IN AN
AGREEMENT.
NEIL: THERE WILL BE NO DEAL
UNLESS THEY GET THAT?
>> THAT'S WHAT THE PRESIDENT
SAID, YEAH, NO DEAL UNLESS THEY
CAN ENFORCE THAT --
NEIL: THERE'S NO WIGGLE ROOM, IN
YOUR MIND?
>> IN MY MIND, FROM WHO I TALKED
TO, ALL THE FOLKS IN D.C.,
THERE'S NO WIGGLE ROOM ON
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY.
THERE'S ALSO, WE ARE HEARING
DISCUSSIONS THIS WEEK ABOUT
POSSIBLY LAYING OUT A PLAN FOR
THE CHINESE TO STOP OR REDUCE
THE NUMBER OF FORCED JOINT
VENTURES.
THAT'S WHERE SOME OF THAT
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY HAPPENS,
IS IF A CHINESE COMPANY OWNS 51%
OF YOUR COMPANY, YOU HAVE TO
GIVE UP YOUR TECHNOLOGY OR HOW
YOU MAKE STUFF.
>> YOU THINK THERE'S A LIST OF
100 THINGS THEY SAY IF I DON'T
GET ALL HUNDRED OF THESE, IS IT
THAT DEFINITIVE?
BECAUSE IF IT IS, I'M JUST
SAYING --
>> I DON'T THINK IT'S 100 BUT I
THINK YOU WILL HAVE TO SEE SOME
ENFORCEMENT FROM THE
ADMINISTRATION, SOME ENFORCEMENT
IN THE DEAL SAYING THAT IF YOU
BREAK INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY,
THEY ALREADY HAVE THE MECHANISM.
THE MECHANISM IS THERE.
THEY ARE GOING TO HAVE MEETINGS
AT THE LOCAL LEVEL, MONTHLY
MEETINGS WITH THE STAFF AND
QUARTERLY MEETINGS WITH THE
DEPUTY LEVEL AND SEMI-ANNUAL
MEETINGS AND ALL TARIFFS WOULD
BE ON THE TABLE AT THAT
SEMI-ANNUAL MEETING IF A DISPUTE
OVER INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY IS
NOT SET.
THAT MECHANISM WAS AGREED UPON
AND IT IS THERE IN THE DEAL.
THEY ARE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT
THE LANGUAGE TO BIND CHINA TO