US envoys are to visit Beijing on Monday for talks on resolving a tariff dispute that threatens to hobble global economic growth, Beijing said yesterday.
The two days of talks are aimed at carrying out last month’s agreement by US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) to postpone new tariff hikes, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce said.
The US delegation is to be led by US Deputy Trade Representative Jeffrey Gerrish, it said without giving other details about the agenda or participants.
Photo: EPA-EFE
The US embassy in Beijing did not immediately respond to a request for confirmation and additional details.
Beijing last month said that negotiations would start by focusing on agricultural goods, energy and automobiles.
Both governments have raised tariffs on billions of US dollars of each other’s goods in the dispute over US complaints that Beijing breaches its market-opening obligations by stealing or pressuring companies to hand over technology.
Trump and Xi agreed to postpone additional tariff hikes for 90 days, but economists say that is too little time to resolve their sprawling dispute.
The spat has rattled companies and financial markets that worry it would drag on global economic growth that is showing signs of slowing.
Trump wants Beijing to roll back plans for state-led development of Chinese technology champions that Washington, Europe and other trading partners say breaches its promises to open markets and treat all companies equally.
Chinese officials have offered to alter the details, but reject pressure to discard blueprints such as “Made in China 2025,” which calls for the creation of Chinese champions in robotics and other fields.
Chinese officials are unhappy with US curbs on exports of “dual use” technology with possible military applications.
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