After more than six hours of negotiations, senior officials from the US and China concluded their first day of talks in London on the 9th local time. US President Trump stated at the White House on Monday that he has been receiving good news from London, but "China is not easy to deal with."
Trump: All Good News
According to Bloomberg, Trump told reporters at the White House on Monday local time: "All the news I'm receiving is good news for now." "Our relationship with China is good, but China is not easy to deal with."
When asked if he would lift some export restrictions on China, Trump responded, "We'll see." He repeated his previous point: "China has been exploiting the US for many years." He added, "We want China to open up."
The first day's meeting ended around 8 pm London time on Monday. A US official stated that both parties would meet again at 10 am UK local time on the 10th.
This round of talks was held at Lancaster House, built in the 19th century, near Buckingham Palace. The US delegation was led by Treasury Secretary Besent, including Commerce Secretary Lutenik and Trade Representative Grier. The Chinese delegation was headed by Vice Premier He Lifeng, including Commerce Minister Wang Wentao and Vice Minister Li Chenggang.
Bloomberg reported that Lutenik's presence highlighted the importance of export control in these negotiations.
Besent told reporters in London that the US and China had a "good conversation," while Lutenik described the discussions as "productive."
The US has signaled willingness to lift some technology export restrictions in exchange for China's commitment to ease rare earth export restrictions.
Specifically, Bloomberg cited informed sources saying that the Trump administration is prepared to lift a series of recent measures against chip design software, aircraft engine components, chemicals, and nuclear materials. Many of these measures have been implemented in the past few weeks due to strained US-China relations.