China makes concession on US farm goods in ‘frank’ and ‘constructive’ talks
- First meeting of Chinese and American negotiators for two months wraps up in Shanghai
- For China, the urgency to end the tariff war has lessened, with the economic downturn not as serious as expected
China has agreed to buy more agricultural goods from the United States after “frank, efficient, and constructive” trade talks on Wednesday, the first between the two countries’ top negotiators since discussions were suspended in May.
While the Chinese side did not specify what products it would purchase, it said in a statement it would consider its internal demand, after half a day of discussions in Shanghai on Wednesday, according to official news agency Xinhua. The statement also said the US would “create favourable conditions” for the imports.
The White House, which called this week’s talks “constructive”, said on Wednesday that Chinese negotiators would be travelling to Washington to continue negotiations “on an enforceable trade deal” in early September.
The US delegation arrived in China on Tuesday for a working dinner, with official discussions taking place the next day, and wrapping up early in the afternoon.
While the talks between US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Chinese Vice-Premier Liu He were closely watched, they were seen as largely symbolic by Chinese diplomatic observers and advisers.
Beyond confirmation from Beijing that it was committed to increasing purchases of US agricultural goods, the White House’s readout made no mention of other outcomes or agreements from the talks.