U. S.-China trade negotiations need to reach a successful end by March 1 or new tariffs will be imposed, officials said.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U. S.-China trade negotiations need to reach a successful end by March 1 or new tariffs will be imposed, U. S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said on Sunday, clarifying there is a « hard deadline » after a week of seeming confusion among President Donald Trump and his advisers.
Global markets are jittery about a collision between the world’s two largest economic powers over China’s huge trade surplus with the United States and U. S. claims that China is stealing intellectual property and technology.
« As far as I am concerned it is a hard deadline. When I talk to the president of the United States he is not talking about going beyond March, » Lighthizer said on the CBS show « Face the Nation, » referring to President Donald Trump’s recent decision to delay new tariffs while talks proceed.
« The way this is set up is that at the end of 90 days, these tariffs will be raised, » said Lighthizer, who has been tapped to lead the talks and appeared to tamp down expectations that the negotiation period could be extended.
