WASHINGTON/BEIJING (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday he was determined to stop China from “taking our jobs, taking our money” as U.S. and Chinese negotiators met for a second day to try to avert a tariff war and find ways to boost U.S. exports to China.
China earlier denied assertions from U.S. officials on Thursday night that Beijing had offered a package of concessions and goods purchases aimed at reducing the U.S. trade deficit with China by as much as $200 billion.
“This rumour is not true. This I can confirm to you,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang told a regular news briefing, adding that consultations in Washington “are constructive.”
A U.S. official said on Friday said that China’s proposal was interpreted as Beijing pledging to work to achieve Washington’s $200 billion trade deficit reduction goal by 2020 - a demand presented to Chinese officials two weeks ago in Beijing.
The offer did not contain specifics, the U.S. official said, unlike China’s decision to end its anti-dumping duties on U.S. sorghum grain, a move that was linked to the U.S.-China trade talks.
A private sector source familiar with the talks also said that the U.S. government agencies were asking industry groups about the feasibility of potential deals with China in agriculture, energy and semiconductors.
Two sources involved in the negotiations said that the Treasury has been contacting American technology firms to test their willingness to support liberalizing export control laws to allow more exports to China. Chinese officials had proposed a list of goods covered by U.S. export controls that are not restricted by other nations, implying that these could be purchased from the United States, the sources said.
The sorghum anti-dumping probe had effectively halted trade worth roughly
