It’s reported, without confirmation from named officials, that high-level US-China trade talk are going to resume week in a push to close the deal by the end of April. US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin would fly to Beijing in the week of March 25 to meet Chinese Vice Premier Liu He again. The following week, Liu He is expected to fly to Washington to continue the negotiations.
At the same time, it’s reported that China is pushing back against some of the American demands on core issues. A key reason is the lack of assurance from Trump on lifting tariffs imposed. China is also said to be stepping back from the initial agreements over pharmaceutical data protection, patent linkages and refused to give ground on data-service issues. Nevertheless, some officials on both sides are seeing the “back-and-froth” as something expected in typical negotiations.
The date for signing a trade deal between the countries has been pushed back recently. While it’s still possible to happen in April, the more probable occasion would be as sideline of G20 summit in Japan in June. Meanwhile, in his typical rhetorics, Trump said at the White House yesterday that “talks with China are going very well”.
