FROM EIR DAILY ALERT

U.S. and China ‘Are in Final Weeks of Having an Agreement,’ Lighthizer Tells Senate Committee

March 13, 2019 (EIRNS)—Testifying before the Senate Finance Committee on March 12, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, who is in charge of the ongoing trade talks with China, said the Trump Administration hopes “we are in the final weeks of having an agreement—but I’m not predicting one.” He cautioned the Senators that major issues have remain unresolved. “If those issues are not resolved in favor of the United States, we won’t have a deal,” Reuters quoted him as saying.

Lighthizer and China’s top trade negotiator, Vice Premier Liu He, spoke by phone on March 12, China’s state media reported, and Lighthizer said during the Senate hearing that he had another call scheduled for March 13. “We are working more or less continuously,” he said.

Lighthizer also told Senators the United States is addressing structural issues over intellectual property rights “with precision” in the talks and is nearing a deal to address currency manipulation.