‘Who is playing what role? Sometimes it could be very confusing,’ Cui Tiankai said.

By Doug Palmer @ Politico.com, Oct. 14

Twenty-one months after President Donald Trump took office, China still does not know which of his top advisers has the most influence over the president’s handling of increasingly fraught trade tensions with Beijing, Cui Tiankai, China’s ambassador to the United States, said Sunday.

“You tell me,” Cui told “Fox News Sunday” anchor Chris Wallace, when asked which administration official can reliably speak for Trump on trade issues. “Honestly, I’ve been talking to other ambassadors in Washington, D.C. This is also part of their problem."

“What?” Wallace asked.

“They don’t know who is the final decision-maker. Of course, presumably, the president would take the final decision. But who is playing what role? Sometimes it could be very confusing,” Cui said.

Typically, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative takes the lead in trade negotiations with other countries. But early in the administration [....]