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Chinese top team to land in Washington for trade talks just before US decides which products to penalise

Delegation led by Xi Jinping’s top economic adviser will arrive in America just ahead of hearing to finalise tariffs on US$50bn of Chinese products

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Liu He will lead the Chinese delegation on the visit to Washington, his second in three months. Photo: AFP
Wendy Wuin Beijing

A top-level Chinese delegation will arrive in Washington for a second round of trade talks on Tuesday – just before the US finalises the list of Chinese products that will be hit with punitive tariffs, a source familiar with the situation has said.

China’s delegation will be led by Vice-Premier Liu He, Xi Jinping’s top economic adviser, who met a delegation from the White House in Beijing at the end of last week. 

In those talks, the American officials focused on their dissatisfaction with China’s hefty state support for technological development and the long-standing trade gap between the two countries but devoted little time to the issue of improving market access for foreign companies, another source who was briefed on the talks said.

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US President Donald Trump has frequently highlighted America’s trade deficit with China and has demanded a US$200 billion reduction. 

China’s Ministry of Commerce said on Thursday that both countries’ working teams were making preparations for the next round of dialogue. 

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