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Mnuchin said in an interview with CNBC that the talks he and
U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer led in Washington
last week with Chinese Vice Premier Liu He were "very
productive."
"Ambassador Lighthizer and myself and a large team are on our
way to Beijing next week. We are committed to continue these
talks," Mnuchin said.
"We're putting in an enormous amount of effort to try to hit
this deadline and get a deal. So that's our objective."
U.S. President Donald Trump said in his State of the Union
address on Tuesday that any new trade deal with China "must
include real, structural change to end unfair trade practices,
reduce our chronic trade deficit and protect American jobs."
Trump has vowed to increase U.S. tariffs on $200 billion worth
of Chinese imports to 25 percent from 10 percent currently if
the two sides cannot reach a deal by 12:01 a.m. (0501 GMT) on
March 2.
Bilateral talks have centered on addressing U.S. demands for
deep structural changes to China's economic and trade policies,
including new protections for U.S. intellectual property, ending
forced technology transfers, reining in China's subsidies for
state industries and increasing Chinese purchases of U.S. farm,
energy and manufactured products.
"We are also very focused on free and fair trade for U.S.
companies to have access there and to having a more level
playing field which will bring down the trade deficit," Mnuchin
said.
(Reporting by Susan Heavey; Writing by Mohammad Zargham; Editing
by Jeffrey Benkoe)
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