Exclusive | China’s top trade negotiator Liu He heads to US in bid to kick start new talks on easing tensions
- Vice-Premier had cancelled plan to visit Washington in September, but planned Xi-Trump meeting has improved chances of making progress
- Chinese sources say the atmosphere is better now, but warn US president’s volatility gives reason to be cautious
China’s top economic negotiator is expected to visit the United States soon for talks with his American counterparts aimed at calming trade tensions between the two sides and paving the way for a meeting between the two countries’ presidents.
In total three sources, from both sides, confirmed the development to the South China Morning Post, but said the schedule for Vice-Premier Liu He’s trip had still not been decided.
Liu had cancelled a trip to the United States in September amid rising tensions between the two nations.
But a phone conversation between Chinese President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart Donald Trump at the start of the month - during which they agreed to meet on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Argentina at the end of the month, has injected positive momentum for Liu’s visit to Washington.
“The atmosphere for both sides to conduct talks is much better now,” a source from a Chinese government think-tank said.
The source said there might be a good chance of progress, but warned that Trump’s unpredictability should be noted despite optimism on the Chinese side.