Trade war: China remains tight-lipped on talks as December 15 tariff deadline looms
- China’s Ministry of Commerce spokesman Gao Feng says only that ‘the two teams are keeping in close communication’
- Lead negotiators from China and US are expected to speak by phone before Sunday, when new tariffs are due to be implemented, says former US trade official
China is remaining tight-lipped on the status of trade talks with the United States, despite a looming Sunday deadline for the imposition of new US tariffs.
Ministry of Commerce spokesman Gao Feng said at a press conference in Beijing on Thursday that “the two teams are keeping in close communication”, but added he “had no more details” on whether to expect progress in the next few days.
The comments come just three days before a new 15 per cent US tariff on the bulk of China’s remaining exports is due to come into effect. China is set to implement retaliatory tariffs on US goods of 5 and 10 per cent if the deadlock is not broken.
There has been speculation in both Beijing and Washington this week that these tariffs would not be implemented, but time is running out for the Office of the US Trade Representative to cancel the duty.
