How Large Does the NYT Think China's Trade Surplus with the U.S. Should Be?

The NYT ran a piece on China's economy implying that it is reeling from the tariffs that Donald Trump has imposed on imports from China. The article outlined China's economic problems and then told readers that China's President Xi:

"has been forced to make concessions to the United States as President Trump’s trade war intensifies."

The problem with the claim that Xi has been "forced" is that China's trade surplus with the United States is actually considerably larger in 2018 than it was in...