US-China relations continue to thaw at meeting between trade officials in Detroit

Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao sat down with US Trade Representative Katherine Tai in Detroit Michigan on Friday, continuing a resumption of high level face-to-face talks on trade tensions between the world’s two largest economies.

The talks followed Wang’s meeting with US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo on Thursday in Washington.

Wang’s meeting with Tai came on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) session in Detroit. A statement by the Commerce Ministry on Friday said the two sides had “candid, pragmatic and in-depth” exchanges on “economic and trade relations and regional and multilateral issues of common concern while agreeing to continue to communicate”.

“The Chinese side raised concerns on key issues such as the US economic and trade policy toward China, Taiwan-related issues in the economic and trade field, the Indo-Pacific economic framework, and Section 301 tariffs,” it read.

A read-out from Tai’s office said the trade ambassador “highlighted the need to address the critical imbalances caused by China’s state-led, non-market approach to the economy and trade policy”, while raising concerns about China’s actions against US firms operating there.