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US, China Still Unable to Reach Critical Phase in BIT Talks, Says Froman

The U.S. and China have not yet began negotiations over sectoral exclusions in Bilateral Investment Treaty talks, U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman told the Chamber of Commerce on April 28 (here). Both sides have repeatedly indicated they plan to exchange…

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the exclusions, called the “negative list,” in the beginning of 2015 (see 1503100076). “This will be the most challenging BIT negotiation that either country has ever undertaken,” said Froman in the remarks. “We’ve had very good dialogue with China over the last year on the [BIT] and actually made quite good workmanlike progress on the basis of the text, and it’s very clear that from President Xi [Jinping] on down, the Chinese leadership and ministries are taking this very seriously, and we welcome that kind of engagement in the negotiations.”