ZCZC
BFF-27
CHINA-US-TRADE-POLITICS
US, China top trade negotiators to talk again on Friday
BEIJING, Oct 31, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – Top US and Chinese trade negotiators
will talk again on Friday, China said, as uncertainty swirls over the
cancellation of the APEC summit where leaders of the two countries had been
expected to meet.
US President Donald Trump said Monday that he expected a “phase one” trade
deal with Beijing to be signed on the sidelines of the November summit in
Chile, after an 18-month trade impasse between the two economic giants.
But Chile’s President Sebastian Pinera announced Wednesday that his
country could no longer host the event, due to violent unrest in the city.
“Negotiating teams on the Chinese and US sides have continued to maintain
close communication, and negotiations are currently making smooth progress,”
the Chinese commerce ministry said in a statement Thursday.
“The two sides will continue to push forward negotiations and other work
according to the original plan,” the ministry said, adding that leaders from
both sides will hold another call Friday, a week after senior officials last
spoke over the phone.
The White House said later on Wednesday that Trump still hopes to sign a
trade deal with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in coming weeks.
China and the US have exchanged blows for over a year, with tariffs now
impacting hundreds of billions of dollars in two-way trade.
Now with the 2020 presidential election approaching, and Trump under
pressure from the impeachment inquiry in Congress, US trade officials have
focused on getting a partial deal in the books.
China’s Commerce Ministry said on October 26 that both sides had agreed to
“properly address each other’s core concerns.”
BSS/AFP/FI/ 1122 hrs