US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Chinese Vice Premier Liu He, the principal negotiators for the two countries, will participate in the meeting, an initial six-month review of the pact activated on Feb 15. The US Trade Representative's office and the US Treasury did not respond to requests for comment. Under the Phase 1 trade deal signed in January, China had pledged to boost purchases of US goods by some $200 billion over 2017 levels, including agricultural and manufactured products, energy and services. But China, battered by the global coronavirus recession, is far behind the pace needed to meet its first-year goal of a $77 billion increase. "It's both the normal semi-annual review and also comes at a time when the relationship continues to deteriorate.

Source: bd News24 August 05, 2020 00:00 UTC