The investigation may aim to find new leverage against Beijing and pressure it to buy more U.S. goods.
U.S. officials are launching an investigation into whether China lived up to its commitments under a 2020 trade pact that President Donald Trump described at the time as “an incredible breakthrough.’’
The announcement Friday by U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer came the same day Trump was scheduled to head to Asia, where he said he will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping in an effort to ease trade tensions between the world’s two biggest economies.
Beijing has announced that Xi will travel to South Korea to attend a regional economic meeting and for a state visit, but it has yet to confirm that he will meet with Trump while both are in South Korea.
The possible leaders summit is highly watched as trade tensions have risen again, with both countries imposing more trade restrictions on the other and Trump threatening a new 100% tariff on China. Beijing has demanded that the U.S. not threaten new restrictions while seeking talks with China, and it’s not immediately clear how Greer’s announcement could affect the negotiations.
In starting the investigation, “the administration seems to be looking for new sources of leverage to use against Beijing, while adding another pressure point to get China to buy more U.
