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US-China trade chiefs to have call as Donald Trump and coronavirus threaten phase one deal
- Vice-Premier Liu He and US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer will hold a call as early as next week, Bloomberg reported
- First call since phase one trade deal was signed in January comes after US President Donald Trump threatened to scrap the accord
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Top Chinese and US trade negotiators will speak as soon as next week on progress in implementing a phase one deal after US President Donald Trump threatened to “terminate” the agreement if Beijing was not adhering to the terms.
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Chinese Vice-Premier Liu He will be on the call, according to people familiar with the matter. The US will be represented by US Trade Representative (USTR) Robert Lighthizer, one of the people said.
The planned phone call will be the first time Liu and Lighthizer speak officially about the agreement since it was signed in January, just before the global coronavirus pandemic hit the world’s two biggest economies and upended global supply chains. The deal called for Liu and Lighthizer to meet every six months, making next week’s call slightly ahead of schedule.
Trump also seemed to suggest a development was on the horizon when he told reporters at the White House on Wednesday that he would be able to report in the next week or two if he is happy with how the trade deal is progressing.
On Sunday, in response to a question at a town hall from a business owner who said he was losing money on the tariffs, Trump noted that the duties prompted China to promise to buy US$250 billion worth of US goods.
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