China Calls for APEC Cooperation Amid Trade Tensions
Quick Look
- China's international trade representative, Li Chenggang, opened the APEC trade ministers' meeting in Suzhou, urging regional economies to support cooperation and accelerate implementation of existing agreements.
- The meeting follows a recent trade deal between the US and China.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
The APEC trade ministers' meeting is taking place in Suzhou, China, with a focus on regional economic cooperation. This follows a recent meeting between the US and Chinese presidents that resulted in significant trade agreements.
SUZHOU, China — Li Chenggang, China's international trade representative, opened the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation trade ministers' meeting on Friday with a call for regional economies to "send a strong message to the world" in support of cooperation.
Li said he was chairing the opening meeting in place of China's Commerce Minister Wang Wentao, who had "urgent official business," according to a CNBC translation of his remarks in Chinese.
The trade representative role is a full minister rank. Li also serves as China's vice commerce minister.
The APEC trade ministers' meeting, set to conclude Saturday, comes about a week after U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping met in Beijing. China agreed to place its first major order of Boeing aircraft in nearly a decade, and buy $17 billion worth of U.S. agricultural products annually through 2028.
"Even though APEC isn't a venue for negotiations, it should play a guiding role in economic and trade discussions," Li said.
"For consensus that has already been achieved, [APEC] should accelerate implementation and see results early," he said.
Ambassador Rick Switzer, Deputy United States Trade Representative, is the head of the U.S. delegation for the meeting.
Open Questions
- What specific "urgent official business" prevented China's Commerce Minister from attending?
- What are the details of the implementation acceleration for existing APEC agreements?
- What is the US delegation's specific stance on the call for cooperation?
- Will the recent US-China trade deals impact APEC's broader economic goals?
