After meeting Chinese diplomat in Hawaii, Pompeo says Beijing recommitted to all obligations of Phase1 trade deal
Jun 19, 2020
Washington D.C. [USA], June 19 : US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo who secretly met China's top foreign policy official Yang Jiechi in Honolulu, Hawaii said Beijing is recommitted to completing all obligations under its first-phase trade deal with America.
"During my meeting with CCP Politburo Member Yang Jiechi, he recommitted to completing and honoring all of the obligations of Phase 1 of the trade deal between our two countries," Pompeo tweeted.
It was the first substantive news out of Pompeo's low-key diplomatic talks in Hawaii. The two had dinner and spoke for seven hours in what observers told South China Morning Post that the development showed a willingness to maintain dialogue.
Beijing claimed that the meeting had been "constructive" and said Yang had laid out China's position on Hong Kong, Taiwan and Xinjiang, reiterating that the US should stop interfering in its internal affairs, according to a statement by the Chinese foreign ministry.
Those sensitive issues were not mentioned in a brief statement by the US State Department. Instead, it said Pompeo had stressed "the need for fully reciprocal dealings between the two nations across commercial, security and diplomatic interactions", and highlighted "the need for full transparency and information sharing to combat the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and prevent future outbreaks".
The diplomats' meeting came with relations between the world's two largest economies at their lowest point in decades and the two governments facing off on multiple fronts including technology, Hong Kong, Taiwan and the South China Sea - despite signing an interim trade deal in January.
The US commerce department this week allowed US tech companies to work on 5G standards with Chinese telecoms maker Huawei.
As Pompeo and Yang were meeting, US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer told a Congress committee that China had bought about US$10 billion worth of American products since January's interim deal. He also said Chinese officials had reiterated their purchase commitment.
