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China brings in commerce ministry officials to boost trade talks team
- Minister Zhong Shan joined discussion this week in a move observers say shows need to involve more experts as negotiations with US get tougher
- His deputy, Yu Jianhua, is also expected to take more of a role
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China seeks to strengthen its trade negotiation team, including by involving Commerce Minister Zhong Shan, as Beijing and Washington restart talks on a range of thorny issues.
Zhong joined a phone call with US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Tuesday – the first time he had been part of a direct conversation with Washington’s negotiators – in a move that observers said showed Beijing’s need to enlist more experts as the talks get tougher.
It was the first telephone call between top negotiators since Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump agreed to resume stalled talks on the year-long trade war during their summit in Osaka, Japan, on June 29. Even before talks officially restart, China’s imports of American farm products – which the two sides have yet to agree on – are looming as the next contentious issue.
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China’s team is led by Vice-Premier Liu He, a long-time confidant of Xi who has been spoken of highly by White House officials. But observers say there are concerns over a lack of trade expertise on Beijing’s team compared to Washington officials like Lighthizer, who is said to be respected by the Chinese for his knowledge, even if they have found him difficult to negotiate with.
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Bringing in Zhong could be an effort to address those concerns, according to Dali Yang, a political scientist at the University of Chicago.
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