WASHINGTON: Chinese vice-premier will visit the US this week for trade talks, Beijing said on Tuesday, playing down a sudden increase in tension after US President vowed to impose new .
US officials have said China has backtracked on substantial commitments made during months of negotiations seeking to end their bruising trade war. Those concerns prompted Trump to say on Sunday that he would raise tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods to 25% from 10% by the end of the week, and would “soon” target remaining with tariffs.
The higher tariffs would take effect on Friday if a deal is not reached by then, US trade representative Robert Lighthizer said on Monday.
Trump’s tweets ended a five-month ceasefire in a trade dispute that has cost the two countries billions of dollars.
Fears that negotiations were unravelling fed speculation that China could cancel Liu’s planned visit. China’s commerce ministry confirmed that Liu, who leads the talks for Beijing, will visit the US on Thursday and Friday.
The ministry did not elaborate or give the expected topics of discussion. Beijing’s response has been reserved, and on Tuesday, foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said mutual respect was the basis for reaching a deal.
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