Trade deal that could lift most US tariffs comes into view
Chinese officials have made clear that removing levies on $200bn of Chinese goods quickly is necessary to finalise any deal
Washington — The US and China are close to a trade deal that could lift most or all US tariffs, as long as Beijing follows through on pledges ranging from better protecting intellectual-property rights to buying a significant amount of American products, two people familiar with the discussions said. Chinese officials made clear in a series of negotiations with the US in recent weeks that removing levies on $200bn of Chinese goods quickly was necessary to finalise any deal, said the people, who were not authorised to talk publicly about the deliberations. That’s the amount the Trump administration imposed after China retaliated against the US’s first salvo of $50bn in tariffs that kicked off the eight-month trade war. One of the remaining sticking points is whether the tariffs would be lifted immediately or over a period of time to allow the US to monitor whether China was meeting its obligations, the people said. The US wants to continue to wield the threat of tariffs as leverage t...
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