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Teddy Ng

The latest round of trade negotiations between China and the United States concluded on Wednesday, with US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin describing the talks as productive.
In a tweet, Mnuchin said he and US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer had concluded “productive meetings” with Chinese Vice-Premier Liu He.
“We will continue our talks in Washington next week,” Mnuchin said.
A statement from White House press secretary Sarah Sanders on Wednesday did not indicate what, if any, consensus had been reached during the talks in Beijing. It said that discussions remained “focused toward making substantial progress on important structural issues and rebalancing the US-China trade relationship.”

.@USTradeRep Ambassador Lighthizer and I just concluded productive meetings with China’s Vice Premier Liu He. We will continue our talks in Washington, D.C. next week. pic.twitter.com/Y7vYW72a6e
— Steven Mnuchin (@stevenmnuchin1) May 1, 2019

The talks had opened in the Chinese capital on Wednesday with smiles and pleasantries between the top negotiators.
Liu appeared relaxed and smiling as he greeted Mnuchin and Lighthizer at a state guest house in Beijing, saying “Good to see you”.
“Nice to see you. It’s good to be back here,” Mnuchin replied.
The US officials landed in Beijing on Tuesday and enjoyed a working dinner with Liu before reopening formal discussions on Wednesday. “We did. We had a nice working dinner, thank you,” Mnuchin said as he was leaving his hotel for the talks.
The exchange of pleasantries happened before and after their talks. In a photo session, Lighthizer joked that the US ambassador to China Terry Branstad liked playing golf, and Liu gave Branstad a blue album emblazoned with the Chinese state crest.




The Financial Times reported that US President Donald Trump had dropped a central demand, that China halt alleged instances of commercial cyber theft, to bring an end to the long-running tariff dispute.
According to the report, which cited several people briefed on the matter, Trump has softened his administration’s opening negotiating position from what it originally characterised as “Chinese government-conducted, sponsored and tolerated cyber intrusions into US commercial networks”.
US-China: the fighting won’t stop when the trade war ends
Before the start of the talks, Chinese and US officials said significant progress had been made in the bilateral consultations.
Since trade talks resumed in December, Washington and Beijing say they have made gains on various issues, including intellectual property, forced technology transfer and non-tariff barriers. But an enforcement mechanism and punitive tariffs remain sticking points.
The two sides are expected to reach a deal in mid-May, possibly laying the foundation for a summit between Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.
Last week, Trump said he would meet Xi at the White House “soon”. The South China Morning Post earlier reported that the meeting could be held as early as June.
Liu is expected to return to the US for another round of negotiations on May 8, the same day Huawei’s chief financial officer Sabrina Meng Wanzhou is set to have an extradition hearing in Canada.
But a trade deal will not necessarily mean a positive outlook for US-China relations as the two nations remain locked in confrontation on the security and ideology fronts.
Wu Xinbo, director of the Centre for American Studies at Fudan University, said the focus in the coming two weeks would be the final negotiations over punitive tariffs and on the arrangements for Xi's possible visit to the US, which is likely to be decided during Liu's trip to Washington next week.
US slaps duties of up to 460 per cent on Chinese yarn for unfair subsidies
“The remaining issues are not difficult to resolve, as Lighthizer will want to keep the tariffs,” Wu said. “What [the negotiators] have to do now is to decide which ones to keep.
“If the US is to keep the tariffs on hi-tech Chinese products, China is likely to keep the tariffs on agricultural products which will be a big blow for the US,” he said, adding that China’s preference remained the removal of all tariffs.
Wu said Meng's case was likely to be discussed, as Trump himself had mentioned the possibility of intervening in the case if the trade talks went well.
Additional reporting by Catherine Wong


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US-China trade war

‘Productive’ end to latest round of US-China trade talks

From left: US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, US Trade Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Chinese Vice-Premier Liu He before the start of their latest round of negotiations aimed at ending the US-China trade war. Photo: AFP

China and United States focus on progress before fresh round of trade war talks

US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin (centre) arrives at a hotel in Beijing, on Tuesday. Photo: Bloomberg

(FILES) In this file photo taken on January 10, 2019 attendees wait in line for a 5G exhibition at the Qualcomm booth during CES 2019 consumer electronics show, at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. - The United States and China are in a virtual deadlock in the race for 5G, or fifth-generation wireless networks expected to unlock new services, an industry survey showed April 2, 2019. The report shows the United States has closed the gap with China in "readiness" for the ultrafast wireless systems and has more 5G deployments planned in 2019 than any other country. (Photo by Robyn Beck / AFP)

FILE PHOTO: FILE PHOTO: A gas flare on an oil production platform in the Soroush oil fields is seen alongside an Iranian flag in the Persian Gulf, Iran, July 25, 2005. REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi/File Photo/File Photo/File Photo

US-China trade talks are at the stage where people haggle over every word

Former US negotiators say Chinese officials are more straightforward in their approach than the Japanese. 

Language differences often complicate diplomatic negotiations.

Chinese and US officials negotiate in their native tongues with the help of simultaneous translation during the trade talks. 

 Chinese, overall, are much more straightforward in their negotiating approach than the Japanese

China and the US debated the suitability of a single word for two hours during agriculture talks, according to an official social media account. 

US investors ‘confidently’ pouring money into China despite trade war, says commerce minister

US investment into China increased by 65.6 per cent in the first quarter of 2019. Photo: Reuters

Wang Shouwen attends a press conference at 13th National People's Congress, 9Mar2019. Photo: Xinhua

China’s Vice-Commerce Minister Wang Shouwen (seated, far right) is part of China’s trade negotiations with the United States. Photo: Xinhua

News

China

Diplomacy

US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin says ‘it’s good to be back here’
Outlook for a May deal looks positive, as US drops a key demand


US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin says ‘it’s good to be back here’ while outlook for May deal looks positive.


‘Productive’ end to latest round of US-China trade talks

US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin says ‘it’s good to be back here’ Outlook for a May deal looks positive, as US drops a key demand

US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin says ‘it’s good to be back here’

Outlook for a May deal looks positive, as US drops a key demand