Chinese Vice Premier Liu He is set to visit Washington on Jan. 30 and 31 for further trade talks, according to people familiar with the plans, signaling progress in efforts to tamp down the dispute between the U.S. and China.
Liu would meet with U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, according to the people, who declined to be identified because the details haven’t been made public. The visit’s timing could still change, one of the people said. The Wall Street Journal reported the dates earlier.
Mnuchin had flagged the trip to reporters on Thursday at the Capitol in Washington, where he said “the current intent” is for Liu to visit later in the month and that he doesn’t expect the partial government shutdown to interfere with those plans.
Negotiators from both the U.S. and China expressed optimism after mid-level talks wrapped up in Beijing this week, bolstering sentiment across global markets.
China and the U.S. will move ahead with the trade talks as scheduled, Chinese Ministry of Commerce spokesman Gao Feng told reporters in Beijing at a regular weekly briefing on Thursday. He didn’t give any further details about when they would take place.
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