US President Donald Trump is likely to hold talks with Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan (王岐山) at the World Economic Forum this month, the South China Morning Post reported on Saturday, citing a person familiar with the matter.
Wang is expected to lead China’s team to the annual forum in Davos, Switzerland.
The talk with Trump would take place on the sidelines of the meeting, the newspaper said.
Photo: AFP
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
It is possible that if Trump, who is making his second trip to Davos as president, does not meet with Wang, one or more of his top trade lieutenants would instead.
US Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin, US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and senior White House adviser Jared Kushner would be among a large US contingent at the Jan. 22-25 forum.
The US was “confirming the logistics of several meetings” that could be held with China during the forum, Mnuchin told Bloomberg News last month.
Talks in Switzerland would follow a meeting due to start in Beijing today between US and Chinese officials, the first formal gathering between the two sides since Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) on Dec. 1 agreed to a 90-day tariff truce, following a widely anticipated dinner at the G20 meeting in Buenos Aires.
US Deputy Trade Representative Jeffrey Gerrish is to lead the delegation that is to meet with Chinese counterparts starting today.
The negotiations are to address issues including intellectual property, agriculture and industrial purchases, two people familiar with the preparations said.
Preliminary discussions have been “a little more optimistic than usual,” White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow told Bloomberg TV on Friday.
A week ago, Trump reported “big progress” in trade talks with his Chinese counterpart, providing an optimistic start to what could be a make-or-break year for ties between the world’s two largest economies.
China says it is ready to buy more US goods, but it is resisting US demands for tougher action on technology transfers, and less state support for strategic industries like robotics and computer chips.
The talks are crucial as the US stock market continues to be volatile.
Earlier in the week Apple Inc plunged the most since 2013 after flagging slower iPhone sales, especially in China — a trend the company blamed on the trade spat.
The sell-off dropped Apple to fourth place in terms of US companies by market capitalization. It was No. 1 as early as the start of last month.
Trump on Friday said he was not concerned about Apple’s revenue warning.
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