Mark Gongloff, Columnist

Trump and Xi to Share Meal, Trade Threats

A lot of money will be on the table when the two meet for dinner this weekend.

November 27, 2018 at 9:37 PM UTC

Mark Gongloff is a Bloomberg Opinion editor and columnist covering climate change. He previously worked for Fortune.com, the Huffington Post and the Wall Street Journal.

President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, at a previous dinner.
Photographer: JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images

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An awful lot is riding on a Saturday night dinner date.

President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are due to dine this weekend at the G-20 summit in Argentina, White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow said today. For all the many photo ops the G-20 will generate, this meal will be the summit’s only truly meaningful moment, writes Mohamed El-Erian. Trump and Xi have a chance to finally end the trade hostilities that have upset economies, corporate profits and financial markets all year. But to do so, both men will have to give something up, Mohamed writes. Xi, for example, will have to stop worrying about how a deal might hurt him domestically, while Trump will have one less controversy to rile up his base.