US officials to meet Xi as trade talks end
BEIJING (AFP) – Top US economic officials were to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday after wrapping up trade talks in Beijing without announcing any progress.
The world's two biggest economies were aiming to at least end the discussions on deep trade differences with enough goodwill to avoid an escalation of their tariff war.
The high-level engagement began Thursday after President Donald Trump suggested he may extend his March 1 deadline for China to make significant concessions on trade if enough progress was made this week in Beijing.
The talks pitted a visiting delegation led by US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin against one fronted by China's economic czar Liu He.
They ended around midday on Friday and the delegations parted with nothing announced.
Attention now shifts to a planned meeting between the US officials and Xi on Friday afternoon.
Trump's economic advisor Larry Kudlow had earlier said Xi's willingness to meet was a "very good sign."
"They're covering all the ground. They're hard at it," Kudlow said of the talks.
He also had said that "the vibe is good," though there'd been "no decision" yet on extending Trump's tariff truce.
Mnuchin and Lighthizer returned to their hotel after the talks ended but did not speak to the media.