US Trade Representative Katherine Tai says she expects to meet Chinese counterpart Liu He ‘in the near term’
- Tai’s comments are a change from five weeks ago, when she said talks would take place ‘when the time is right’
- US-China trade war is approaching its three-year anniversary
US tariffs on Chinese goods will remain in place for now, but the top US trade official said on Wednesday that she expected to meet her Chinese counterpart, Vice-Premier Liu He, “in the near term” for talks that will help determine whether they continue.
“A lot of this is going to hinge on the conversations that we have with China, and our assessment of the effectiveness of the US-China trade and economic agreement,” said US Trade Representative Katherine Tai, speaking at a conference organised by the Financial Times.
“My instruction to everyone who works at USTR, and to those who care about what we do here, is just stay light on your feet always,” she said.
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Unpacking the ‘phase one’ deal for the US-China trade war
She also made clear on Wednesday that any change in US trade policy would not merely come from a conversation with Liu.