Trump was just on the phone to Xi last night, telling him that the trade deficit was unsustainable:
http://freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/3623144/posts
Most of the increase in 2017 is simply due to increased American demand - the upturn in the American economy, including a good Christmas shopping season.
Turning around a structural trade deficit like we have with China, is a multi-year effort. The biggest things that we can do, are to make our own businesses more competitive (tax cuts, de-regulation, energy costs), but there is plenty of cheating by China which has to be stopped as well.
That thing is not a subject of discussion with either side which has the opposite perspective.
What should be Xi’s reaction? Do you expect him to say sorry then ban export and demand the Chinese to buy American?
American businesses doing business with the Chinese should be called.