On Thursday, US and Chinese negotiators have wrapped up the two-day talks. The talks were held in Shanghai, China. The talks are the first face-to-face meeting between the negotiators since both Trump and Xi Jinping declared a truce in June. Both parties stated that US-China talks were ‘constructive’. Yet, there is no sign or indication that the war will end, anytime soon.
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Before the talks, the expectation from all parties affected by the war was low. From the statement made by both parties on Wednesday, there was no sign of tangible progress.
What did they discuss?
One of the topics discussed during the talks was China’s ability to buy American agricultural products. Chinese media reported that Chinese companies applied for the lifting of tariffs on some products. Thus, on this topic, people expect both sides to make headway on. Luckily, the Trump administration confirmed that the Chinese side has confirmed its commitment to increase the purchase of the United States’ agricultural exports. However, details of the information were not provided.
Besides agricultural products, they also discuss technology transfer and intellectual property rights.
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Furthermore, both parties have also agreed that access to China’s technology sector for US firms, remains difficult. Especially, after Washington placed Huawei on a trade blacklist. In May, Washington blacklisted Huawei due to the Chinese tech firm poses a national security concern.
Trump administration prohibits American firms from selling tech and software to Huawei unless they get a license to do so. However, the administration has promised to ease some restrictions on the company, after G20.
In early September, Washington will host the second round of the talks. However, expectations for significant progress remain low. Both countries’ statement signals that they still do not feel the urgency to end the war.
China remains firm, that any deal will require the United States to lift all its tariffs on China. Besides China also demands the United States to respect China’s sovereignty and reflect a more “realistic” commitment from China to purchase US goods.
