A senior United States government official denied that negotiations were underway between Washington and Beijing to lift import tariffs, CNBC reported on Thursday. According to the source, any such decision prior to the visit of the Chinese top trade negotiator Liu He would weaken the US' position in the negotiations.
Meanwhile, the US Treasury stressed that "neither Secretary [Steven] Mnuchin nor Ambassador Lighthizer have made any recommendations to anyone with respect to tariffs or other parts of the negotiation with China." According to the department, the talks with Beijing are "ongoing" and "nowhere near completion."
Earlier today, the Wall Street Journal reported that Secretary of Treasury Steven Mnuchin proposed a plan to abolish import tariffs for merchandise from China and that Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer is opposing an alleged move.
