Both sides issue statements expressing satisfaction. The two delegations are set to meet in Beijing in mid-February to find a solution before the truce in the trade war ends on 1st March. Beijing decides to import five million tonnes of soybeans.
Washington (AsiaNews) – China and the United States wrapped up two days of trade talks last night against the backdrop of a trade war that has already lasted more than six months.
Upon leaving the meeting, both delegations expressed optimism.
The White House described the talks as “intense and productive” whilst US President Donald Trump hailed the “tremendous progress” achieved.
“Frank, concrete and constructive discussions have made important progress,” said the Chinese delegation headed by China’s Vice Premier Liu in a statement, published by Xinhua.
The two sides will meet in Beijing in mid-February, after the lunar New Year holidays.
The high-level talks between Liu He and US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer are the latest attempt to solve the trade dispute after President Trump and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, agreed to a truce until 1st March 2019 in their trade war.
Both delegations want a solution before this deadline. Without it, Trump said he would impose tariffs ranging from 10 per cent to 25 per cent on US$ 200 billion worth of Chinese imports.
Both sides have already imposed tariffs on each other’s products in the recent past.
In a statement, the White House said that the talks covered a wide range of issues, including forced technology transfer, the lack of protection for intellectual property rights in China, cybertheft and tariffs.
Washington wants to end the trade imbalance with China. Beijing has promised to increase US import in the agricultural, manufacturing, energy and services sectors.
As proof of this, China has agreed to purchase an additional five million tonnes of soybeans. For a while, something got lost in translation as the Americans thought China was going to import five million tonnes "a day".