The
Phase 1 deal was announced last week after more than two years
of on-and-off trade talks, although neither side has released
many specific details of the agreement.
Both the Chinese and U.S. trade teams are in close
communication, Gao Feng, a spokesman at the Chinese commerce
ministry, told reporters at a regular briefing on Thursday,
adding there is no specific information on the deal to disclose
currently.
"After the official signing of the deal, the content of the
agreement will be made public," Gao said.
U.S. officials say China agreed to increase purchases of U.S.
products and services by at least $200 billion over the next two
years.
According to Washington, that would include additional purchases
of U.S. farm products of $32 billion over two years. That would
average an annual total of about $40 billion, compared to a
baseline of $24 billion in 2017 before the trade war started.
Chinese officials have so far not publicly confirmed much of
Washington's version - especially on goods purchase commitments.
But China said on Friday when the deal was announced that it
will import more U.S. wheat, rice, corn, energy, pharmaceuticals
and financial services.
Earlier on Thursday, China unveiled a new list of tariff
exemptions for U.S. imports, mostly chemical products, days
after the world's two largest economies announced the Phase 1
deal. China said the second part of the waiver list will be
released at an appropriate time.
Washington said the deal also includes stronger Chinese legal
protections for patents, trademarks, copyrights, including
improved criminal and civil procedures to combat online
infringement, pirated and counterfeit goods.
The two countries have reached a consensus over the protection
of trade secrets, guarding intellectual property rights for
pharmaceutical products, and cracking down on counterfeits and
pirated goods on e-commerce platforms, Chinese Vice Minister of
Commerce Wang Shouwen said on Friday.
China will step up protection of intellectual property but at
its own pace, Wang said.
(Reporting by Stella Qiu and Martin Pollard; Writing by Ryan
Woo; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman, Lincoln Feast and
Giles Elgood)
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