Talks will be held on February 21st and 22nd. The most burning problem is how to avoid and safeguard against forced transfer of technology, the defense of intellectual property, online theft. Beijing has promised to buy "substantial quantities" of goods and services from the US to rebalance the trade balance.
Beijing (AsiaNews) - Deputy Premier Liu He is about to leave for Washington to attend a new round of China-US negotiations and find an agreement to avoid a tightening of tariffs on Chinese products and the commercial war between the two economic giants.
The talks with US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin will be held on 21st and 22nd February.
This is Liu He's second trip to Washington in three weeks. The high-level meeting takes place under the pressure of a deadline: on the first of March, the 90-day deadline for the negotiations expires. If there is no solution, US President Donald Trump said that the US will increase tariffs for 200 billion Chinese products from 10% to 25%.
Last week the negotiators met in Beijing expressing optimism, but without giving precise details. Topics addressed include: the forced transfer of technologies, the defense of intellectual property, Internet theft, the trade imbalance. The most pressing problem is how to implement all the directives and ensure vigilance on all matters.
Yesterday, in a statement, the White House said that the two sides discuss "necessary structural changes in China" and Beijing's promise to buy "substantial quantities" of goods and services from the US.