Senior Chinese trade negotiator says talks with US ‘constructive’: State media

The negotiations were held over the weekend and concluded on March 16. Read more at straitstimes.com.

BEIJING - China and the United States held “in-depth, candid, (and) constructive” talks in Paris, Beijing’s top trade negotiator said on March 16, as senior officials met for a new round of trade discussions.

The negotiations, held over the weekend and concluded on March 16, and were widely seen as setting the stage for President Donald Trump’s visit to Beijing.

Washington had previously said Mr Trump would visit China from March 31 to April 2, though White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News on March 16 that “it’s quite possible the meeting could be delayed” due to the Iran war.

China’s International Trade Representative Li Chenggang told reporters following the Paris talks that both sides had agreed stable bilateral economic trade relations were beneficial to both countries and the world, according to state news agency Xinhua.

The two delegations discussed establishing a bilateral working mechanism to promote cooperation in trade and investment, Mr Li added.

The United States announced new trade investigations last week into excess industrial capacity, targeting 60 economies including China and other key partners.