China-us talks to restart after G20 truce
SHANGHAI: US negotiators arrived in Shanghai on Tuesday to resurrect trade talks with Chinese officials, with both sides downplaying expectations of an imminent deal between the world’s two biggest economies.
The negotiations in the financial hub will be the first face-to-face discussions since US President Donald Trump agreed to a truce with Chinese President Xi Jinping at June’s G20 summit after previous talks broke down over US accusations that China reneged on its commitments.
Washington and Beijing have so far hit each other with punitive tariffs covering more than $360 billion in two-way trade, in a tense stand-off centred on demands for China to curb the alleged theft of American technology and provide a level playing field to US companies. US trade representative Robert Lighthizer and treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin arrived in Shanghai on Tuesday, a person close to the talks told AFP.
Vice-premier Liu He will likely lead the talks for China again, with the two sides expected to meet later on Tuesday ahead of a full day of talks on Wednesday.
The negotiations come as Beijing faces heavy pressure over ongoing civil unrest in Hong Kong, and with lingering ill-feeling between the US and China. Days before the Shanghai meeting, Trump threatened to pull recognition of China’s developing nation status at the World Trade Organization— prompting an irritable reply from Beijing about the “arrogance and selfishness” of the US.