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Chinese vice-minister heads to Washington as trade talks’ focus broadens
- Liao Min leads Chinese negotiation team for first time in discussions to prepare the way for top-level talks in October
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Wendy Wuin Beijing
China’s vice-minister for finance, Liao Min, will go to the United States for trade negotiations on Wednesday, state-run news agency Xinhua reported.
Liao will lead a delegation to Washington in preparation for the face-to-face meeting to be held next month between Chinese Vice-Premier Liu He, US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.
A diplomatic observer said Liao would set out China’s agenda for the October talks, including items that were not negotiable, but added that his inclusion meant this week’s talks would have a focus much broader than only trade.
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Liao is also a deputy director of the Office of the Central Commission for Financial and Economic Affairs, a Communist Party organ in charge of supervising economic work. It will be the first time he has taken a lead role in high-stakes trade talks.
In a phone call this month, Liu, Lighthizer and Mnuchin agreed to meet in October. US President Donald Trump has also announced he will delay a tariffs hike from October 1 to October 15.
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