Source: POLITICO'S MORNING AGRICULTURE, 11/14/19

The U.S. and China are making headway in their negotiations over a skinny trade agreement. But China is proving stubborn about making commitments on a "handful of issues that separate the 'skinny' from the 'invisible,'" according to one person with knowledge of the talks, our Pro Trade friends tell MA.

President Donald Trump indicated he's willing to consider China's request to phase out existing tariffs and stave off additional duties. But he's pushing Beijing to offer more in return than "stale commitments" on intellectual property, financial markets and, of course, agricultural purchases, the person said.

Trump claims China will buy at least $40 billion per year in U.S. farm product under the agreement, but it's still unclear if that number is feasible given supply and demand limitations. The haggling over farm purchases has emerged as one of the main snags in the discussions, per The Wall Street Journal.

Derek Scissors, a China expert at the American Enterprise Institute, said Chinese negotiators are pushing hard for tariff cuts — but they're giving Trump little room to make a deal. "It's politically dangerous for Trump to roll back existing tariffs when the Chinese have offered nothing concrete," Scissors said.