The Chinese Commerce Ministry announced Wednesday that the next round of trade talks with the U.S. will begin in October in Washington, D.C.
“Both sides agreed that they should work together and take practical actions to create good conditions for consultations,” the ministry announced. Lower-level talks will take place between officials on both sides in preparation for October, the ministry said. The U.S. Trade Representative’s Office confirmed that the talks were planned.
The announcement follows weeks of escalations in rhetoric between both sides, culminating in the U.S. instituting new 15% levies on $300 billion worth of Chinese goods Sunday, prompting China to lodge a complaint with the World Trade Organization. On Oct. 1, existing 25% tariffs on $250 billion worth of Chinese goods are set to rise to 30%.
Asked Wednesday about the possibility of a Chinese delegation coming to Washington for talks, President Trump responded by noting that the Chinese economy is suffering because of the trade war. “To me this is much more important than the economy,” he said. “We had to do this. Someone had to do this with China.”
