LARGE US BUSINESS DELEGATION VISITED BEIJING
Trump took 18 American executives, including Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and Elon Musk, to China in May, the sources said.
“My sense is that the Chinese … are going to be more intentional about the role of these business people in having them join the delegation,” said Scott Kennedy, a Chinese business expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
The participation of executives could prove “really valuable”, he said.
Kennedy contrasted the Chinese approach with the organisation of the US delegation in May, which he said was assembled at short notice and whose executives were “more wallflowers than serious participants”.
The US Treasury, the Office of the US Trade Representative and the State Department did not respond to Reuters’ requests for comment. China’s commerce ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
China’s foreign ministry said both countries maintain communication on their leaders’ planned interactions this year, without elaborating.
SYMBOLIC SUMMIT
The two nations announced formal mechanisms to manage trade and investment ties in May.
However, three separate sources briefed on the matter said the Board of Investment is unlikely to produce significant deliverables at the summit because of the challenging US environment for Chinese investment.
Expectations for the summit remain modest, with limited prospects for major breakthroughs, the sources said.
Beijing and Washington also remain divided over which products should qualify as “non-sensitive” under the Board of Trade, the three sources said.
About 10 categories of “non-sensitive” goods are being discussed for inclusion, but this could change closer to the summit, one of the sources said.
