US-China trade: negotiators set to hold talks on progress of phase one deal
- Under general terms of agreement reached in January, officials are expected to meet every six months to assess its implementation
- But as tensions rise between Beijing and Washington, the commitment may have to take a back seat for now, observers say
The head of China’s trade negotiating team, Vice-Premier Liu He, and joint leader of the US side, Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, are expected to hold talks in August, according to a person familiar with the issue, who asked not to be named.
Under the general terms of the deal, which was signed on January 15 and took effect a month later – top-level talks should be held every six months.
The meeting will be “an important inflection point” to allow both sides to assess the progress of the deal, the source said.
However, if because of the prevailing tensions between Washington and Beijing, “there was less of an appetite for engagement at the moment”, the two sides might agree that a telephone conversation between Lighthizer and Liu on May 8 had satisfied the “meeting” clause of the deal, the source said.