China Confirms High-Level Talks with U.S. in Spain on Trade and TikTok Issue

　　TMTPOST -- China on Friday confirmed the high-level talks with the United States next week, focusing on not just trade war but TikTok, the popular short video application owned by Chinese tech giant ByteDance.

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　　 As agreed by China and the United States, Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng will go to Spain to engage in talks with the U.S. counterparts, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Commerce on Friday responded to a query on news about a high-level meeting between He and U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.

　　He will lead a delegation to Spain from September 14 to 17 to hold talks, the spokesperson said in a statement released by the ministry. The two parties will discuss economic and trade issues such as the U.S. unilateral tariff measures, the abuse of export controls and TikTok, according to the spokesperson.

　　China’s stance, which is clear and consistent, is that China is firmly committed to safeguarding the legitimate rights and interests of its enterprises and will handle the TikTok issue in accordance with the relevant laws and regulations, the spokesperson highlighted when asked for more details about the TikTok issue, the state news agency Xinhua reported.

　　The Chinese government attaches great importance to data privacy and security and has never requested, nor will it request, any enterprise or individual to collect or provide data located abroad to the Chinese government in violation of local laws, the spokesperson said.

　　Ahead of the high-level China-U.S. talks, Beijing urged Washington to work together to address respective concerns through dialogue based on mutual respect and equal consultation, and find solutions that ensure an open, fair, just, and non-discriminatory business environment for Chinese companies, including TikTok, to continue operations in the United States, according to the spokesperson. Such cooperation will promote the stable, healthy, and sustainable development of China-U.S. economic and trade relations, the spokesperson said.

　　The U.S. Department of Treasury a day earlier announced Bessent will travel to Britain and Spain from Septermber 12 to 18, and during the visit, he will meet with senior Chinese representatives, including He, in Madrid. They will discuss key national security, economic, and trade issues of mutual interest, including TikTok and cooperating on money laundering networks that threaten both countries, the department said in a press release.

　　The meeting will be the fourth round discussion between He and Bessent in four months.

　　Through the first round of trade talks in Geneva, Beijing and Washington on May 12 reached an agreement on their trade war truce for 90 days, with the U.S. and China agreeing to each lower tariffs by 115%. From mid-May, the U.S. dropped its tariffs on most Chinese goods to 30% from 145%, while China cut its 125% levies to 10%.

　　After the latest round of U.S.-China trade talks in Stockholm from July 28 to 29, China and the U.S. agreed to further extend the truce by 90 days, pushing for the continued extension of the pause on 24% of reciprocal tariffs of the U.S. side, as well as counter measures of the Chinese side.

　　During the talks in Stockholm, the two sides held candid, in-depth and constructive discussions on China-U.S. economic and trade relations, macroeconomic policies, and other trade and economic issues of mutual interest, Xinhua reported on July 29. It cited He Lifeng, leader of the Chinese delegation, that the U.S. should work with China to continue to enhance consensus, reduce misunderstandings, strengthen cooperation, further deepen dialogue and consultations, and strive for more win-win outcomes.

　　Bessent in a press following the talks on July 29 said that U.S. negotiators in the meeting expressed their concern about Chinese overcapacity globally and China’s purchases of sanctioned Iranian oil. They also expressed their regret for they believed China had sold Russia about 15 billion of dual-use technologies. “But the overall tone of the meeting was very constructive,” he added.

　　Bessent said the U.S. delegation reiterated they don’t want to decouple from China and they just need to de-risk with certain strategic industries, such as the rare earth and semiconductors.

　　U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, alongside Bessent, said the U.S. officials confirmed the implementation of what was agreed in the second round of talks in London in terms of accelerating the flow of rare earth magnets from China to U.S. companies, and then they’re able to further discuss how to make sure the entire U.S. supply chain, including those going through third countries could be accelerated.

　　U.S. President Donald Trump, who launched a TikTok account last month, has extended a deadline for TikTok to divest its U.S. assets three times during his second term, and the next deadline is September 17, or next Wednesday.