US to send top adviser to China’s Belt and Road summit as part of Sino-US trade deal
The United States will send a delegation led by a top White House adviser to the ‘Belt and Road’ summit in Beijing this weekend as part of a trade deal between China and Washington.
The US’ attendance at the upcoming two-day forum that starts on Sunday was listed among the 10-point initial results of the 100-Day action Plan of the US-China Comprehensive Economic Dialogue, released by China on Friday.
The forum will see state leaders and delegations discuss President Xi Jinping’s trade and infrastructure development initiative.
Matt Pottinger, Special Assistant to the President and senior director for East Asia of National Security Council of the White House, will lead the US delegation, the US embassy said on Friday.
“The United States recognises the importance of China’s One Belt and One Road initiative and is to send delegates to attend the Belt and Road Forum May 14-15 in Beijing,” according to the joint release by China’s finance and commerce ministries on Friday.
Washington’s attendance at the summit was a concrete result of Xi’s trade plan, finance vice-minister Zhu Guangyao told a press conference on Friday morning.
“China and US should cooperate in bilateral economic areas, but also step up policy coordination in economy in a wider range in the world. I have participated in the negotiation of the initial results, and the 10th point [US attendance] was raised by US and China welcomes that,” Zhu said.
China welcomed all countries’ participation in the initiative, he added.
