Boeing, Qualcomm could lose billions after US-China talks fail to ease trade tensions
US business interests now threatened by ‘volatile cocktail of emotions and political passions’ in America and China
The failure of two rounds of high-level talks between Chinese and US officials to lower bilateral trade tension has put into jeopardy Boeing, Qualcomm and other American business interests supported by US President Donald Trump when he visited Beijing last year, analysts including former Australian prime minister Kevin Rudd said.
Liu He, director of the Office of the Central Leading Group for Financial and Economic Affairs, met US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, National Economic Council Director Gary Cohn and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin in Washington this week.
Liu’s visit follows another by Chinese State Councillor Yang Jiechi three weeks earlier, which produced little more than standard diplomatic language about “the need to achieve a fair and reciprocal bilateral economic relationship”.
No such breakthrough – or progress towards that end – was announced after Liu’s meetings wrapped up on Friday.
Neither the US State Department nor the US Trade Representative’s office offered any updates as of late on Friday afternoon. The Chinese embassy in Washington declined to acknowledge the visit.