China says Trump visit deals are ‘preliminary’
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US President Donald Trump (right) left Beijing on May 15 after two days of talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, with very little detail emerging on the outcomes achieved across trade and investment.
PHOTO: REUTERS
- Trump's Beijing visit saw warm rhetoric but limited concrete trade outcomes. China's ministry called agreements "preliminary," lacking specifics like timings or values.
- US and China agreed to form investment and trade boards to negotiate tariff cuts. Both sides committed to resolving agricultural non-tariff barriers and market access issues.
- China confirmed arrangements for US aircraft purchases and US assurances on engine supply. Both nations will address specific product concerns like dairy detention and beef facility registration.
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BEIJING - China’s Commerce Ministry on May 16 described as “preliminary” the tariff, agricultural and aircraft deals agreed during this week’s visit by US President Donald Trump.
Mr Trump left Beijing on May 15 after two days of talks with President Xi Jinping that featured pageantry and warm rhetoric but limited detail on concrete outcomes across trade and investment.
In a statement on its website, the ministry said the two sides had agreed to establish an investment board and a trade board to negotiate reciprocal, product-specific tariff reductions, as well as broader cuts on unspecified goods including agricultural products. Also on agriculture, Beijing said both sides would work to resolve non-tariff barriers and market access issues.
‘Finalised as soon as possible’
“The US side will actively promote the resolution of China’s longstanding concerns regarding the automatic detention of dairy products and aquatic products, exports of bonsai in growing media to the United States, and recognising Shandong province as an area free of avian influenza,” the ministry said.
“The Chinese side will also actively promote the resolution of US concerns regarding registration of beef facilities and exports of poultry meat from some US states to China,” it added.
The ministry did not identify companies or provide details on volumes, values or timelines.
The May 16 statement marked China’s first public characterisation of the outcomes of trade talks held this week in Beijing and Seoul, and comes amid questions over what Mr Trump’s first state visit to China in nearly a decade has delivered.
Mr Trump has said China agreed to buy 200 Boeing aircraft, but analysts have questioned the lack of a timeline.
The Commerce Ministry confirmed arrangements on “Chinese purchases of US aircraft and US assurances on the supply of aircraft engines and parts to China”, without elaborating.
It said discussions on the details were continuing and that the agreements would be “finalised as soon as possible”. REUTERS
