China keeps door open to September talks in Washington, despite trade war escalation
- Wei Jianguo, a former vice-minister of commerce, says the meeting is likely to happen as planned
- Source briefed by the US government said video conferences are planned to lay the groundwork for the next round of face-to-face talks
Despite the significant escalation in tensions between China and the United States this week, negotiators are still expected to convene in Washington in September for another round of trade talks, sources have said.
The next face-to-face negotiations are “likely to happen as planned”, even though the prospects of a deal are dim, according to Wei Jianguo, a former vice-minister of commerce responsible for foreign trade.
Wei’s comments to the South China Morning Post echoed those of Larry Kudlow, US President Donald Trump’s top economic adviser, who hours earlier said he still expected Chinese negotiators to visit the US for another round of talks.
“The president and our team is planning for a Chinese visit in September,” Kudlow told CNBC in an interview on Tuesday. “We’re willing to negotiate. Movement towards a good deal would be very positive and might change the tariff situation. But then again, it might not.”