Progress In US-China Talks with More This Week

Attention in the week ahead will be on U.S.-China trade talks to take place in Washington. The sessions this week come after U.S. officials were in Beijing for talks last week. U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin met with China officials, headed by Vice Premier Liu He. "The two parties continued to make progress during candid and constructive discussions on the negotiations and important next steps," the White House said. "The United States looks forward to the meetings planned with Vice Premier Liu He and the Chinese delegation in Washington." Chinese Commerce Ministry spokesman Gao Feng told reporters last week that while some progress has been made, “much work remains to be accomplished.” National Economic Council Director Larry Kudlow said on Thursday that the Trump administration was prepared to stretch the talks with China for “months” and Washington was in no rush to resolve the problems. “This is not time-dependent,” Kudlow in a speech in Washington. “This is policy and enforcement-dependent … If it takes a few more weeks, or if it takes months, so be it. We have to get a great deal, as the president says, that works for the United States. That’s our principal interest.” Kudlow added that Washington had proposed including in the pact a provision for regular meetings to assess China’s implementation of any reforms agreed — including improving treatment of U.S. intellectual property and opening up market access.