Economics
China Trade Minister Steps Out of the Shadows for the First Time in U.S. Talks
- Zhong Shan joins meetings in Shanghai starting Tuesday
- Commerce Minister has long-running personal ties to Xi Jinping
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The differences on substance are vast and the mistrust between the two sides high. Yet one of the biggest questions hanging over U.S.-China trade talks as negotiators prepare for the resumption of face-to-face talks in Shanghai next week is over the new prominence of an old China trade hand.
After spending most of the past year in the relative shadows of the talks, Chinese Commerce Minister Zhong Shan has joined two conference calls with U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin in recent weeks and is expected to be at the table when the two sides start meeting in Shanghai on Tuesday next week.