Chinese and US negotiators pledged to implement trade deal signed earlier this year despite coronavirus epidemic, Chinese Commerce Minister said Friday after Washington and Beijing telephone talks . The pandemic, which paralyzes the world economy, could have questioned China's promise to increase its purchases of American products by $ 200 billion over two years, made when the agreement was signed in January.
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Preliminary agreement signed in January
During their phone call, "the two parties said they were ready to strengthen their cooperation in macroeconomic and public health matters and to do everything to create an atmosphere favorable to the implementation of their preliminary economic and commercial agreement, with a view to to achieve positive results, "reported the ministry. The telephone interview was held between the Chinese negotiator Liu He, Deputy Prime Minister, and his American counterparts Robert Lighthizer, representative for Foreign Trade, and the Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin.
After nearly two years of trade war with punitive tariffs, the world's top two economies have reached a preliminary agreement signed in January, just before the quarantine of the Chinese city of Wuhan, the cradle of the epidemic. Covid-19.
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In exchange for an increase in Chinese purchases of American products, the administration of President Donald Trump then committed to postpone any further increase in customs duties. But Donald Trump threatened last week to apply new trade sanctions to China, accusing him of being responsible for the epidemic and its economic consequences.