Chinese Vice Premier Liu He will lead a delegation to Washington starting on April 3, close on the heels of a visit to Beijing by U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, the White House said.
The new details revealed Saturday about the timing of Liu’s visit offered a new hint of optimism as talks on a trade agreement continue between the world’s two largest economies.
Trump said this week that he intends to continue tariffs on Chinese imports until he’s sure Beijing is complying with any trade deal.
“We’re not talking about removing them, we’re talking about leaving them for a substantial period of time, because we have to make sure that if we do the deal with China that China lives by the deal,” the president told reporters on March 20.
Trump’s remarks clouded prospects for the intense negotiations to lead to a near-term removal of about $360 billion in tariffs China and the U.S. have imposed on each other’s imports.