Some give as well as take needed for talks trade-off

"We're going to have very frank discussions", US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a TV interview broadcast on Monday. Which is all well and good. But whether there will be any positive outcomes from the discussions in Beijing on Thursday and Friday will depend on whether the delegation he is heading comes to try and lay down the law to China or amicably find ways to resolve the trade feud that has erupted.

Certainly, Mnuchin and the other members of the US trade delegation, which will reportedly include Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, trade adviser Peter Navarro and economic adviser Larry Kudlow, should not attribute China's lowering of its tariffs on some imports, such as automobiles and medicines, to the United States' targeting of its imports and investments. Such a misreading of China's actions would be detrimental to having heart-to-heart conversations to clear the air.

The time when China could be forced to open its doors is long past, and Beijing is not opening them wider now simply to appease others.