US legislation supporting Hong Kong protesters didn’t stop China’s trade chief from recently making a phone call to invite US negotiators to a new round of trade talks.
The Wall Street Journal says US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin were invited to Beijing for more face-to-face trade negotiations. While it wasn’t immediately clear if US officials said yes to the invitation, it was clear that US trade officials were willing to meet with their Chinese counterparts.
The report on the Chinese invitation comes shortly after US legislation on Hong Kong had threatened to push trade talks between the world’s biggest economies off track.
Last week, the US House of Representatives passed two bills intended to show support for protesters in Hong Kong. Beijing then accused the US of interfering in its domestic affairs. Trade experts and people close to the Trump Administration say the limited trade agreement could be pushed into next year, news which is not good for US agriculture.
Source: washingtonagnetwork.com
