Ministerial-Level Talks: Percent Duty and Trade Representative

ministerial-level talks: But there was no indication that the first round of these tariffs a 15 percent duty on Chinese consumer goods imposed on Sept. 1 would be rescinded, or that a planned Oct. 1 tariff increase, on 250 billion worth of goods already levied at 25 percent, would be halted, according to The Japan Times. The U.S. Trade Representative's office did not confirm any more specific timing for the ministerial-level talks, saying only that they would take place in the coming weeks. The new talks were arranged during a phone call between Chinese Vice Premier Liu He, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, China's commerce ministry said in a statement. ; They would be the first in-person, high-level discussions since a failed U.S.-China trade meeting at the end of July prompted U.S. President Donald Trump to proceed with fresh tariffs on virtually all Chinese imports that had at that time remained untouched by the trade war. In advance of these discussions, deputy-level meetings will take place in mid-September to lay the groundwork for meaningful progress, USTR spokesman Jeff Emerson said in a statement. At that time, the United States accused China of backtracked on earlier commitments for sweeping changes to its laws and practices on intellectual property protections, transfers of U.S. technology to Chinese companies and increased U.S. access to the Chinese market. The United States and China remain far apart on the substance of a deal to end their 14-month trade war, with little movement since the talks broke down in May. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.