Robert Lighthizer, the architect of President Donald Trump’s trade war in his first term, called on the US to maintain “substantial” tariffs on China, even as the world’s two biggest economies appear to have a deal that includes a rollback of some duties.

“We are transferring enormous amounts of wealth overseas, but specifically to China,” Lighthizer, Trump’s former trade representative, said on Thursday in a Bloomberg Television interview with Haslinda Amin. “We need substantial tariffs to get that back in the direction of balance.”

While it’s not clear if such hawkish views will carry enough weight to sway Trump as he negotiates with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea, Lighthizer said the key issues for him go beyond politically important items, including fentanyl and soybeans

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