David Malpass, US nominee for World Bank president and long-time China hawk, ‘will continue to take part in trade talks’
- Malpass will travel to Beijing next week with US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, administration officials say
- ‘It doesn't make sense to have money borrowed in the US, using the US government guarantee, going into lending in China,’ the nominee said in 2017
David Malpass, a China hawk who is US President Donald Trump’s nominee to become the World Bank’s new president, will continue to play a “very important part” in trade negotiations with Beijing, senior US administration officials said on Wednesday.
The officials said Malpass, undersecretary for international affairs at the US Treasury, would travel to China next week with US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin for the next round of negotiations, the officials said.
Malpass, a World Bank sceptic who has been vocal in his opposition to the spread of multilateralism, has figured prominently in the negotiations, which reconvened at the cabinet level in Washington last week.
The scheduling of more talks was one of the only tangible outcomes of last week’s discussions, which culminated in an Oval Office meeting between the Chinese delegates and Trump and a promise from Chinese Vice-Premier Liu He of a one-time, 5 million metric tonne purchase of soybeans, a pledge that observers dismissed as a token.
Malpass, 62, would continue to be a part of efforts to reach an agreement by March 1, said one official, referring to the end of the 90-day window agreed upon in December, after which US tariffs will increase in the absence of an agreement.