Are China’s trade negotiators being hampered by poor communication, inexperience?
- Before talks resume, Beijing needs to shore up its skills and improve internal communication channels, sources say
- A lack of ‘substantive suggestions’ have been made to China’s top leaders on how to handle the US during the negotiation process, according to insiders
China’s efforts to secure a favourable resolution to the trade war with the United States have been hamstrung by poor internal communication and the inexperience of its negotiating team, according to sources familiar with the discussions.
An adviser to the Chinese government, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that with formal talks poised to resume, one of the priorities for Beijing should be improving its communication channels.
Before the talks faltered in early May there had been a consistent lack of information being passed from the negotiating team to officials higher up the chain of command, the person said.
“There wasn’t enough internal briefing,” he said, adding that coordination within the Chinese government had been “insufficient”.
There had also been a lack of “substantive suggestions” being made throughout the Chinese government to the top leadership on how to handle the US during the negotiation process, the source said.
The trade talks were suspended last month as the two sides struggled to reach consensus on a 100-plus-page agreement. Beijing accused Washington of making unreasonable demands and disregarding its sovereignty, while the US accused China of backtracking on commitments made in earlier rounds of talks.
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While observers have acknowledged the mutual respect and regard shown by the two negotiating teams for one another, several Chinese sources have noted the skills and professionalism of the US team and suggested China needed to up its game to match them.
The trade negotiations had entered into “very detailed, professional and technical” discussions, which demanded advanced negotiating skills, a source said, adding that one of the major concerns was ensuring that everything agreed to also complied with the principles and terms of the World Trade Organisation.
The government adviser said that against the backdrop of such intricate and detailed deliberations, it had become evident that the Chinese team, led by Vice-Premier Liu He, had not been given enough authority or autonomy by the central government to make on-the-spot decisions.
A second government adviser suggested that some of the Chinese negotiators also lacked experience in dealing with foreign affairs and high-level negotiations.
“High-stakes trade negotiations with other countries require high levels of expertise and proficiency in foreign languages,” the person said.
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With Chinese President Xi Jinping and his US President Donald Trump set to meet on Saturday on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan, negotiators on both sides are preparing for a possible resumption of formal talks.
Liu is expected to meet the joint leaders of the US team – Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin – before Xi and Trump sit down together.
Beijing also appears to have taken steps to strengthen its negotiating team, with the appointment of Yu Jianhua, China’s ambassador to the United Nations, and a veteran on trade issues and the World Trade Organisation.
While his exact role on the trade team has not been specified, Yu is also a senior figure within China’s Ministry of Commerce, suggesting he could play an influential role in future negotiations.
“Yu is knowledgeable and quite experienced in trade talks. He can been seen to rival Lighthizer, who had decades of experience as a trade lawyer before taking the federal government position,” one of the sources said.
