US-China ministerial telephone talks over trade for the first time since the inauguration of the Biden administration

The United States and China have announced that they have held ministerial-level telephone talks over trade.

At the first discussion after the inauguration of the Biden administration, it seems that discussions were held on the protection of intellectual property rights and tariff measures, which are pending issues.

The US and Chinese governments announced on the morning of the 27th of Japan time that Katherine Tai, the trade representative in charge of trade issues in the United States, and China's Deputy Prime Minister Liu He had a telephone talk.

This is the first ministerial-level consultation since the inauguration of the Biden administration in January.

After the talks, the Office of the United States Trade Representative said in a statement, "In addition to explaining trade policies that emphasize domestic workers, we have also raised trade concerns."

Meanwhile, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce said, "It was a frank and constructive exchange, and we exchanged opinions on issues of mutual interest."

During the Trump administration, the United States and China fought fiercely over trade, including raising tariffs on each other.

After that, in January last year, China agreed on a first-stage trade agreement that included efforts to expand imports of American agricultural products, and regularly confirmed progress.

While the Byden administration does not take punitive tariffs, it is concerned about China's efforts to protect intellectual property rights, while the Chinese side abolishes tariffs that remain on most products. It seems that discussions were held on these points in this discussion.