By Stephen Dinan and Dave Boyer - The Washington Times - Sunday, May 17, 2020

President Trump is stepping up his confrontations with China as the U.S. death toll mounts from the COVID-19 pandemic, blocking trade with Chinese tech giant Huawei, halting some U.S. retirement investments in China and floating the suggestion that Beijing should compensate the world for the coronavirus first discovered in Wuhan.

The president, who once boasted of his warm relationship with Chinese President Xi Jinping, has cut off communications for now with Mr. Xi, even as both sides negotiate quietly to uphold...