US-China trade war: negotiators give nothing away as talks resume in Beijing
- Talks between vice-minister-level representatives expected to set scene for top-tier meeting later in week
- Analysts remain wary that a comprehensive deal can be reached by the end of the month
The latest round of trade talks between Chinese and US officials got under way in Beijing on Monday, as the March 1 deadline for a deal draws ever closer.
US deputy trade representative Jeffrey Gerrish gave nothing away as he left his hotel in a downtown area of the city, looking stern and dismissing reporters’ questions. He and his team of second-tier officials are expected to set the scene for top-level talks on Thursday and Friday involving the likes of US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Chinese Vice-Premier Liu He.
While both sides were upbeat after earlier talks in Beijing and Washington, hopes of finding a resolution to the dispute took a knock last week when US President Donald Trump said it was “unlikely” he would meet Chinese President Xi Jinping this month, with a face-to-face meeting seen as key to cementing a deal.
Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said on Monday that she hoped the latest negotiations would go well.
“We, of course, hope, and the people of the world want, to see a good result,” she told reporters at a regular press briefing.
Under the terms of the trade war truce agreed by Trump and Xi in December, if a deal is not reached by March 1, the US will deliver on its threat to increase the tariffs it imposed on US$200 billion worth of Chinese goods in September to 25 per cent from 10 per cent.