US business delegation meets with senior Chinese officials in Beijing
On Wednesday, the US-China Business Council (USCBC) delegation concluded a two-day visit to Beijing.
It was quite the party, including senior executives from:
- FedEx
- Boeing
- Apple
- Thermo Fisher
The delegation chatted with a bunch of high-level officials, including:
- Foreign Minister Wang Yi
- Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao
- Minister of Industry and Information Technology Li Lecheng
Wang Yi hinted that US businesses should lean on Washington to improve relations with China (Gov.cn):
- “We hope the US business community will serve as interpreters of a correct understanding of China.”
USCBC emphasized the importance of a trade deal (USCBC):
- “Our meetings in Beijing highlighted the need for the United States and China to reach an enduring agreement on tariffs.”
- “Doing so would open the way to resolving market access challenges and policies that have tilted the playing field against U.S. companies in China.”
Get smart: US businesses can lobby Washington for a trade deal till the cows come home, but, ultimately, US President Donald Trump is the one calling the shots.
- His mercurial instincts and flair for the dramatic mean that even as US-China ties appear to be warming, uncertainty still reigns supreme.
The upshot: This uncertainty will continue to weigh on US businesses' appetite to invest in China.