Insiders told the Wall Street Journal that Vice Premier of China Liu He canceled a trip to Washington, where he was invited by United States Secretary of the Treasury Steve Mnuchin. The decision is said to be made because President Donald Trump announced a package of import tariffs on $200 billion worth of goods from the most populous nation.
The prospect for trade negotiations became bleak, as the government in Beijing slapped levies on US merchandise worth $60 billion, after which he threatened to target shipments of $257 billion more. China purchases less in goods from the other side than the other way around and its response on that front is limited. Its officials have repeatedly claimed there would be no talks if tensions are escalating.
The anonymous sources revealed there could be a meeting in the US in October. The ranking of the delegation for the first trip has already been scaled down and Liu would have come only after Wang Shouwen, vice minister of commerce, goes for preliminary discussions. The people familiar with the matter said there would be no trip whatsoever.
