Exclusive | Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin upbeat after first day of US-China trade war talks in Washington
- US treasury secretary makes brief but positive comment as other delegates remain tight-lipped at end of opening negotiations
- Leader of Chinese delegation, Vice-Premier Liu He, expected to meet Donald Trump in the Oval Office on Thursday
US and Chinese officials had a “good conversation” during the opening session of their high-stakes trade talks in Washington on Wednesday, US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said as the two delegations filed out.
With the negotiations set to continue on Thursday, after which Chinese Vice-Premier Liu He is expected to meet US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office, it remains to be seen if the two sides can build on their “good” start.
As brief as his comment was, Mnuchin was the most forthcoming of the officials. His colleague Larry Kudlow, one of Trump’s top economic advisers, refused to comment, while Chinese vice-minister for finance Liao Min said only that he was heading out for dinner.
Earlier in the day, US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer had sought to lighten the mood after angry scenes outside the Chinese delegation’s hotel.
After extending a warm welcome to the Chinese team, led by Liu, Lighthizer made a quip about how several of the guests at the dinner between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Argentina last month – at which they brokered the ongoing trade war truce – had been cropped out of photographs taken by the media.