ZCZC
BCN-09
US-CHINA-TRADE-DISPUTE
Next round of US-China trade talks set for Feb 14-15: White House
WASHINGTON, Feb 9, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – US officials will be in Beijing
February 14-15 for the third round of talks aimed at heading off an
escalation of the ongoing trade war with China, the White House announced
Friday.
Negotiators are working towards an agreement before the 90-day tariff
truce expires March 1, after which the US is set to more than double punitive
duties on $200 billion in Chinese goods.
US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven
Mnuchin will lead the delegation, which also includes David Malpass, who
President Donald Trump has nominated to be president of the World Bank,
according to the statement.
However, strident White House China critic Peter Navarro was not listed as
part of the US team.
While officials seemed optimistic after talks last week in Washington,
more recent comments have jarred financial markets, amplifying concerns about
how the dispute will impact global growth.
US President Donald Trump said Thursday he did not expect to meet his
Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping before a March 1 deadline for the two economic
superpowers to reach a deal.
Trump had said final resolution of the trade dispute would depend on the
meeting with Xi “in the near future,” but told reporters it had not yet been
arranged.
And top White House economist Larry Kudlow said Thursday that while Trump
was “optimistic” about prospects for a deal, there remained a “sizeable
distance” separating the two sides.
Washington is demanding far-reaching changes from China to address unfair
practices it says are deeply unfair, including theft of American intellectual
property and the massive Chinese trade surplus.
The White House said there will be a preparatory meeting of senior
officials beginning February 11, and the talks will include officials from
the Agriculture, Energy and Commerce Departments.
BSS/AFP/HR/0945