China optimistic about trade talks
China struck an upbeat note on Monday as trade talks resumed with the US, but also expressed anger at a US Navy mission through the disputed South China Sea.
China struck an upbeat note on Monday as trade talks resumed with the US, but also expressed anger at a US Navy mission through the disputed South China Sea, casting a shadow over the prospect for improved Beijing-Washington ties.
White House senior counsellor Kellyanne Conway also expressed confidence in a possible deal.
Asked if the two countries were getting close to a trade agreement, she told Fox News: “It looks that way, absolutely.”
The US is expected to keep pressing China on longstanding demands that it reform how it treats American companies’ intellectual property in order to seal a trade deal that could prevent tariffs from rising on Chinese imports.
The latest talks kick off with working-level discussions on Monday before high-level discussions later in the week. Negotiations in Washington in January ended without a deal and with the top US negotiator declaring work was needed.
“We hope, and the people of the world want to see, a good result,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said at a briefing in Beijing.
The two sides are trying to hammer out a deal before the March 1 deadline, when US tariffs on $200bn worth of Chinese imports are scheduled to increase to 25% from 10%.
US President Donald Trump said last week he did not plan to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping before that deadline, dampening hopes that a trade pact could be reached quickly. But Conway said a meeting was still possible soon.
The same day the latest talks began, two US warships sailed near islands claimed by China in the disputed South China Sea, a US official told Reuters.
Asked if the ships’ passage would affect trade talks, Hua said that “a series of US tricks” showed what Washington was thinking. But Hua added that China believed resolving trade frictions through dialogue was in the interests of global growth.
China claims a large part of the South China Sea, prompting concern around the region and in Washington.