Leaders from the US and China on Wednesday encountered a new obstacle in their struggle to end a damaging trade dispute, when the summit where they were supposed to meet was canceled because of violent protests.
US President Donald Trump this week said that he hoped to sign an interim trade deal with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) during the Nov. 16 and 17 APEC summit in Chile.
Chilean officials said that they canceled the summit to focus on restoring law and order in the country.
Photo: EPA-EFE
The White House afterward said that the US still expects to sign an initial trade agreement with China this month, but no alternate location had yet been set for Xi and Trump to meet.
The Chinese Ministry of Commerce said in a statement yesterday that the bilateral talks would proceed as previously planned and that the lead trade negotiators from both countries would speak by telephone today.
US and Chinese negotiators have been racing to finalize the text of the “phase one” agreement for Trump and Xi to sign this month, a process clouded by wrangling over US demands for a timetable of Chinese purchases of US farm products.
US Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin, who was traveling in the Middle East, on Wednesday said that US discussions with China had been productive, and work on finalizing the text of the deal was continuing.
China’s commerce ministry also said in its statement that the talks were progressing well.
The White House intends to offer some US locations as alternatives to the APEC summit, one source familiar with US thinking said.
Alaska and Hawaii could be potential options that would be acceptable to China, a second source familiar with the issue said.
China has also suggested Macau as a venue, one China trade source familiar with the issue said.
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