B Mnuchin said trade "talks" with China would begin this Saturday, with extreme anti-China politician Navarro not participating.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Mnuchin said on Wednesday that he would hold a round of trade "talks" with Chinese officials in Switzerland on Saturday. He confirmed that White House Trade Advisor Peter Navarro will not participate in the meeting. At that time, Mnuchin will attend together with U.S. Trade Representative Greer.
According to Reuters, when Mnuchin was questioned at the House Financial Services Committee hearing on Wednesday about whether the consultations with China were already in the "advanced stage," he responded: "What I said is that we will start discussions on Saturday, and I think this is exactly the opposite of 'advanced'."
The U.S. Treasury Department announced in a press release on Wednesday that Secretary Mnuchin would visit Switzerland on Thursday; the Office of the United States Trade Representative [USTR] also announced through a press release that U.S. Trade Representative Greer would visit Geneva later this week.
In addition, the Treasury Department stated that during Mnuchin's visit to Switzerland, he would meet with China's chief representative on economic affairs. The Office of the United States Trade Representative also pointed out that during Greer's stay in Switzerland, he would meet with his Chinese counterparts to discuss trade issues.
This Sino-U.S. meeting has drawn widespread attention from outside. In the context of tense trade war between China and the U.S., this meeting is seen as "possibly bringing new developments to the continuously tense bilateral economic and trade relations." Mnuchin clearly referred to this meeting as "negotiations," indicating that both sides are seeking a more formal dialogue mechanism.
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1831509531798666/
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