U.S. trade delegation to head to China next week

The U.S. and China will re-engage in trade talks with Section 301 tariffs set to rise to 25 percent on March 2 if the countries can’t reach a deal.    Several senior U.S. officials will head to Beijing next week to re-engage with Chinese officials in hopes of resolving Trump administration concerns regarding several of China’s trade practices, the White House announced on Friday.
   Talks will start on Monday at the deputy level, led by Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Jeffrey Gerrish (pictured above left).
   U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer (pictured above center) and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin (pictured above right) will travel to Beijing for principal-level meetings next Thursday and Friday.
   Other U.S. delegation members include USTR Chief Agricultural Negotiator Gregg Doud, Treasury Under Secretary for International Affairs David Malpass, Agriculture Department Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Ted McKinney, Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade Gilbert Kaplan and National Economic Council Deputy Director Clete Willems, among several others.
   Section 301 tariffs across $200 billion worth of goods from China in 2017 import value will rise from 10 percent to 25 percent on March 2 if the U.S. and China can’t strike a deal by then to ease trade tensions.
   The U.S. is seeking changes to several Chinese commercial practices, including forced technology transfer, intellectual property theft and cyber-theft of U.S. commercial property.