BEIJING 5 Nov (ANA) - China is seeking the roll back of U.S. tariffs on as much as $ 360 billion of Chinese imports before President Xi Jinping agrees to go to the U.S. to sign a partial trade deal with President Donald Trump, according to people familiar with the matter.

 

Negotiators asked the Trump administration to eliminate tariffs on about $ 110 billion in goods that were imposed in September and lower the 25% tariff rate on about $250 billion that began last year, said some of the people, who asked not be named discussing the private talks.

 

Chinese officials also suggested the U.S. could temporarily waive some tariffs, people familiar with Beijing’s position said. In return, China could remove tariffs on a reciprocal amount of U.S. goods, mostly farm products, one of the people said.

 

China has also previously demanded that Trump cancel plans to impose duties on roughly $ 160 billion in imports, scheduled for Dec. 15, which would hit consumer favorites like smart-phones and laptops. At the very least, those tariffs have to be taken off the table for Xi to get on a plane to meet Trump, the people said.

 

Enforcement Mechanism

The Financial Times reported earlier that U.S. officials are debating whether to remove levies imposed in September including clothing, appliances, and flat-screen monitors, citing people briefed on the discussions. The Ministry of Commerce in Beijing didn’t immediately respond to a fax seeking comment on China’s position.

 

U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and other officials have consistently argued that the duties on the $ 250 billion of goods are a way of making sure that China lives up to its commitments and should be in place for the long-term.(ANA)

FA/ANA/5 November 2019------