China and the United States have discussed tariffs, agricultural trade and wider economic cooperation during the first meeting of their bilateral trade council, ahead of an anticipated meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump next week…reports Asian Lite News Desk
The virtual meeting was held on Friday under the China-US economic and trade consultation mechanism. According to China’s Ministry of Commerce, the discussions were candid, in-depth and constructive.
China Daily reported that the talks focused on implementing agreements reached during previous negotiations and following the consensus established by the two countries’ leaders.
The discussions centred on a reciprocal tariff reduction arrangement covering goods worth $30 billion from each country, along with agricultural trade and other economic issues of mutual interest.
Beijing and Washington agreed to maintain communication through the trade council to address existing differences, expand areas of cooperation and reduce trade tensions.
The Chinese ministry said the efforts were aimed at building a constructive relationship between the two countries based on strategic stability, mutual respect, fairness and reciprocity.
The talks come ahead of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Shenzhen, where Trump and Xi are scheduled to meet on Thursday.
US officials have also indicated that Trump is expected to participate in a trilateral meeting with Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the summit.
According to ABC News, the discussions are expected to focus on nuclear disarmament and Iran. The proposed meeting would mark an unprecedented joint engagement between the leaders of the three major powers.
However, US officials have played down expectations of an immediate agreement on nuclear arms reduction, describing the meeting as an initial discussion.
White House spokesperson Olivia Wales said Trump intended to discuss reducing nuclear weapons globally, while nuclear proliferation remained a major concern, CNN reported.
US officials also said Trump was expected to raise Iran with Xi and Putin but would not discuss Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine during the trilateral engagement.
Trump and Xi are scheduled to hold a separate bilateral meeting and working lunch before the proposed joint engagement with Putin. No separate one-to-one meeting between Trump and Putin is planned.
The discussions come amid renewed concerns over global nuclear security following the expiration of the last nuclear arms treaty between the United States and Russia in February. China has also been expanding its nuclear arsenal.
Billionaire Elon Musk is expected to accompany Trump during parts of his China visit because of his business interests in the country, although he is not expected to attend the trilateral meeting, ABC News reported.
Before travelling to China, Trump is scheduled to visit Manila on Monday for the ASEAN Summit, where he is expected to discuss Indo-Pacific peace and security and meet Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
He will then travel to Shenzhen for the APEC Summit, attending leaders’ events and multilateral meetings before meeting Xi. The proposed trilateral engagement with Xi and Putin is expected to be the final event of his Asian tour
ALSO READ-China’s BRI Dream Hits A South Asian Wall
