US pushes ‘needed structural changes’ on forced technology transfers and IP protection during China trade talks, but no sign if any new agreements were made

United States trade negotiators challenged their Chinese counterparts on a wide-ranging list of grievances during trade talks this week, according to an announcement from the office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) issued on Wednesday as the discussions in Beijing came to a close.

In the first official statement to issue from either side, the USTR said the meetings, which began on Monday, were part of a push to achieve “needed structural changes in China with respect to forced technology transfer, intellectual property protection, non-tariff barriers, cyber intrusions and cyber theft of trade secrets for commercial purposes, services, and agriculture”.

The USTR gave no indication as to what, if any, new agreements had been made during the latest round of talks, but its statement said the US side pushed verification and enforcement of previous agreements.

The discussions covered China’s commitment to purchasing “a substantial amount of agricultural, energy, manufactured goods, and other products and services from the United States”, the statement added, referring to one of the outcomes to have arisen from the December 1 face-to-face meeting between presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping.

The US delegation would now “report back to receive guidance on the next steps”.

Myron Brilliant, executive vice president and head of international affairs at the US Chamber of Commerce, said in a statement on Wednesday that there were encouraging signs resulting from the “constructive dialogue”, but stressed that the business community was not primarily interested in “one-off purchasing commitments by China”.