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US Trade Representative Katherine Tai plays a leading role in the Biden administration’s China policy. Photo: AP
China

US Trade Representative Katherine Tai ‘hoping to see’ Chinese commerce minister at Apec gathering

  • Amid speculation of a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the two-day forum in Detroit, Michigan, no confirmation yet from either side
  • US-China relations still fraught after American trade deal with Taiwan, despite recent high-level engagement in Vienna
US-China relations
Khushboo Razdan
Khushboo Razdanin Detroit
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US Trade Representative Katherine Tai on Wednesday said she was expecting Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao at a two-day gathering of trade ministers from Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) member states in Detroit, Michigan.

“I am hoping to see him,” she told the Post on the sidelines of an event honouring the Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, adding that she had not yet seen a list of confirmed attendees.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Chinese embassy in Washington told the Post via email that it did “not have any information to offer at this time” on Wang travelling to Detroit for the Apec forum scheduled for Thursday and Friday.

While a bilateral meeting has been speculated, neither Washington nor Beijing has yet to confirm any such plans.
US Trade Representative Katherine Tai attending an event celebrating Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in Detroit, Michigan, on Wednesday. Photo: Khushboo Razdan

The Chinese embassy last week said Wang would be visiting Washington this week to meet top US trade officials, leading to reports of an expected meeting with US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo.

But an announcement from Washington concerning closer US-Taiwan trade ties angered Beijing. Soon afterwards, China banned the use of memory chips from an American firm involved in key infrastructure projects.
Beijing considers self-ruled Taiwan a renegade province that is eventually to be reunited with the mainland, by force if necessary. Washington’s growing political engagement and arms sales with the island have become major flashpoints between the two global powers in recent years.
The as-yet unconfirmed, high-level meeting offers yet another reflection of how low US-China relations have plunged in recent years, fuelled by trade frictions and a deepening mutual mistrust.

US trade officials cite China’s ‘economic coercion’ ahead of Apec

In February, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken cancelled his planned trip to Beijing after a suspected spy balloon was caught hovering over the US. A top aide to Blinken this month said America’s top diplomat hoped to visit ‘in the near future’.
And last week, US President Joe Biden predicted a “thaw” in ties, describing the balloon incident as “silly”.
His remarks came after a high-level meeting took place earlier this month between US national security adviser Jake Sullivan and China’s top diplomat, Wang Yi. The two held eight hours of meetings over two days in Vienna. A senior White House official called the discussions “candid” and “constructive”.
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