Advertisement
Senior US and Chinese commerce officials poised to meet and tackle business communities’ concerns
- Dialogue slated for first quarter of 2024 to bring government and private sector together in working group focused on trade and investment disputes
- Hope is to relieve American companies’ concerns over intellectual property theft and other issues, says commerce official leading US delegation
Reading Time:2 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
3
Ji Siqiin Washington
High-ranking commerce officials from China and the United States are expected to hold talks in Washington in the coming months, with a focus on tackling concerns from both countries’ business communities, a US trade official said on Friday.
The in-person meeting would be the first of the US-China commercial issues working group – a consultation mechanism of government officials and private sector representatives seeking solutions to trade and investment disputes. The group launched last August upon US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo’s visits to China.
Held at the vice-ministerial level, the dialogue would entail the business community playing a significant part, according to Marisa Lago, US undersecretary of commerce for international trade, lead delegate of the American side.
Lago outlined her role and observations during an online event on Friday hosted by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington-based think tank.
“The focus is very much on addressing concrete issues that affect our business communities,” she explained.
“It’s not a negotiation forum, but a channel where the issues that we have each heard from our business communities can be discussed, and we’re looking for really specific actionable outcomes where the government can help address.”
Advertisement