The G-20 meeting in Japan is underway and all eyes and ears are awaiting the conclusion of the trade talks between Presidents Trump and Xi. It has been reported today that President Xi will present his case for what the USA needs to do to reach a trade truce at this juncture. These bullet points highlight the divide between the two nations and it will be near next to impossible for President Trump to acquiesce to these demands. They are centered around removing the ban that the US has placed on Chinese tech firm, Huawei. This company has been and is considered a national security threat to the US – so how can Trump simply put this aside? Next, China wants all punitive tariffs removed – again, same question as above considering how “effective” President Trump claims they have been for the US. It must also be considered that a major sticking point from the US side is that the Trump administration wants an enforceable deal – wouldn’t this imply that tariffs will remain in tact to some degree until the Chinese make good on the agreement? Lastly, President Xi is expected to tell President Trump that the US needs to remove the demand that China needs/has to buy more US goods and services. This will be another challenge to President Trump as he has promised farmers and ranchers a great deal with China, thus increasing the sales of their crops and livestock. So the question remains – is the trade war ending this weekend, or just getting started?