Negotiations this week may lead to a U.S. trade delegation returning to China. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin says talks over the phone this week, if productive, will result in a trip to China for further discussions.
During a White House briefing, Mnuchin told reporters “I think there’s a good chance we’ll go there,” if the talks this week make “significant progress.”
This week marks the second round of negotiations since China and the U.S. agreed last month to restart talks during a meeting at the G20 Summit. President Trump also claimed China would begin making purchases of U.S. ag products. However, China has yet to do so, and Democrats call the claims fake.
Trump has expressed disappointment that China has yet to move forward with the purchases. China recently announced economic growth in the nation has slowed to 6.2 percent, its lowest level since 1992. Trump claims via Twitter that the U.S. tariffs are “having a major effect on companies wanting to leave China for non-tariffed countries.”