China ‘in no rush’ for another trade war talks trip by US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin
- There is no point in further discussions until the United States is prepared to give some ground, Chinese analysts say
The stand-off over US-China trade talks could last for some time with Beijing in no rush for US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to visit, according to Chinese analysts.
Mnuchin said on Wednesday that he would most likely go to China soon for another round of negotiations, but Chinese state media have since gone on offensive, saying Beijing is prepared to suspend trade talks if Washington keeps up its tough action.
Tensions have escalated between the two countries in the last week, with the United States and China imposing fresh tariffs on each other’s goods, China cancelling orders for American pork and Washington stepping up scrutiny of Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei Technologies.
US business news outlet CNBC reported on Saturday that there had been no scheduling discussions between China and the US for Mnuchin’s visit since his comment on Wednesday.
Tao Wenzhao, an international relations expert at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said there was no harm to China in waiting a while for Mnuchin’s visit.
“There is no need to get into frantic calculations about when he will come if the US continues to lack sincerity. After all, enough has been said by both sides in so many rounds of discussions,” Tao said.