Comments come as top Chinese government official Liu He is in Washington for talks aimed at averting a trade war with the United States
US lawmakers pressed Chinese President Xi Jinping’s top economic adviser to stop unfair trading practices as the nations try to pull back from the brink of a trade conflict.
“I urged the Chinese Vice-Premier to seize this moment in time to address these lasting concerns and to continue to grow this relationship in a more fair way,” said Kevin Brady, the Republican chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee that oversees trade issues.
Brady spoke to reporters in Washington after his committee met with Chinese Vice-Premier Liu He, who is visiting Washington this week for talks with the Trump administration on ways to resolve a brewing trade dispute. Liu’s visit follows a trip to Beijing earlier this month by a high-level US delegation led by Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.
Senate Finance Committee Chair Orrin Hatch, a Republican, later sounded a more pessimistic tone over a deal to avert tariffs after he met with Liu. Asked if the Trump administration would move forward with proposed levies on Chinese goods, Hatch said “I think they will go into effect.”
A Senate Republican aide said that Hatch does not support tariffs and is hopeful the US will not need to use them, but he wants to ensure the administration can keep them on the table, particularly with China in town this week.
Liu gave the OK hand gesture to waiting reporters as he left Hatch’s office.
President Donald Trump on Wednesday continued to defend the lifeline he offered to Chinese telecom equipment maker ZTE Corp, insisting trade talks with Beijing were just getting started. “Nothing has happened with ZTE except as it pertains to the larger trade deal,” Trump said in a series of tweets Wednesday.
The president surprised many in Washington over the weekend by saying he is working with Xi to help ZTE “get back into business, fast”.
