As we mentioned, the US delegation includes so-called "China hawks." And within the delegation, views on trade and tariffs are widely divergent. Let's take a took at those different views.

US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin is the head of the delegation. He was Trump campaign finance manager, and now holds the top cabinet post overseeing economic and financial regulatory policy. Mnuchin was once viewed as one of the administration's "globalists" in opposition to tariffs. But in recent months, he has voiced strong support for Trump's tougher trade approach to China and steel and aluminum tariffs.

Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer has a reputation as a tough negotiator. The Washington trade lawyer has long expressed views that China has failed to live up to WTO obligations. He is the initiator of USTR's "Section 301" intellectual property study. Lighthizer said this week that changing the US relationship with China is "a big, big challenge" that would play out over years.

White House Trade and Manufacturing Adviser Peter Navarro is a Lighthizer ally and a most hawkish figure in the team. He is a trade skeptic, and wants the US to withdraw from NAFTA, T-P-P and other trade deals. His recent argument on Fox Business News is that the tariffs are designed to compensate the United States. He said "If you allow China to basically capture the industries of the future, we won't have a future."

Larry Kudlow, is the new head of National Economic Council. Like his predecessor, he's long been an advocate for free markets and trade, and had frequently criticized Trump's tariff approach. But since taking the job, he has referred to tariffs as a negotiating tactic aimed at achieving fairer trade relationships.

US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross is a strong advocate for tariffs to level the playing field for US companies. He has sent contradictory signals towards China. He was in favor of Trump's threat of high tariffs, but also said the trade war was unlikely.