China’s top economic aide Liu He heading to US in bid to defuse trade tensions
Politburo member is said to be making the trip to Washington next week
China is ramping up top-level engagement with the United States in a bid to defuse trade tensions by sending its most influential economic policymaker to Washington for talks.
Liu He, director of the Office of the Central Leading Group for Financial and Economic Affairs and President Xi Jinping’s right-hand man on economic policy, will make the trip next week, US news website Axios reported on Friday.
Deputy chief of the leading group office Yang Weimin meanwhile told a forum in Hong Kong on Friday that a trade war between China and the US would be damaging for everyone, but he did not say whether Liu was heading to the US.
“As the world’s biggest and second-biggest trade nations, both sides will be harmed in this fight, though the extent of the damage will be different,” he said at the forum organised by the Our Hong Kong Foundation think tank.
“Hopefully we can reach a consensus through negotiation – and we should stick to negotiation and consultation. A trade war will not only hurt China, but the global economy as well.”
