The White House announced that Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin will travel to Beijing to on April 30 to continue trade talks. China’s team will again be led by Vice Premier Liu He. Liu is expected to fly to Washington on May 8 for additional discussions. In the statement, it’s noted that “the subjects of next week’s discussions will cover trade issues including intellectual property, forced technology transfer, non-tariff barriers, agriculture, services, purchases, and enforcement.”
Earlier yesterday, Larry Kudlow, Director of the White House National Economic Council, said the negotiations were making progress and he was “cautiously optimistic” on striking a deal. He hailed that “we’ve come further and deeper, broader, larger-scale than anything in the history of U.S.-China trade.”
But Kudlow also noted that “We’re not there yet”. “We’re still working on the issues, so-called structural issues, technology transfers”. Also, “ownership enforcement is absolutely crucial. Lowering barriers to buy and sell agriculture and industrial commodities. It’s all on the table.”
