WASHINGTON (REUTERS) – China’s attitude in talks with the United States this week in Hawaii cannot be described as forthcoming, although it did commit to following through on phase 1 of the US-China trade deal, the senior US diplomat for East Asia said on Thursday (June 18).

Mr David Stilwell, who spoke after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met China’s top diplomat Yang Jiechi in Hawaii on Wednesday, told reporters the next couple of weeks would show whether the talks were productive.

“The PRC (People’s Republic of China) side could not be described as really forthcoming,” said Mr Stilwell.

“Whether or not (they) were productive … look at what comes up in the next couple of weeks. Do we see a reduction in aggressive behaviour or not?”

At the same time, China did commit to following through on phase 1 of a trade agreement reached with the United States this year, Mr Stilwell said, adding that trade would be a good acid test as to whether Beijing was a cooperative partner.

Mr Stilwell said recent Chinese actions, over India, in the South China Sea and over Hong Kong had not been constructive. He said Washington looked forward to seeing China reconsider plans to impose new national security legislation on Hong Kong.

The world’s two largest economies have been at loggerheads over multiple issues and ties have dipped to what many experts see as their lowest ebb in decades in recent months as the coronavirus pandemic that began in China hit the United States hard.

On Thursday, US President Donald Trump who has made rebalancing trade with China a top priority, renewed a threat to cut ties with Beijing.

China’s foreign ministry said Mr Yang told Mr Pompeo that Washington needs to respect Beijing’s positions on key issues, halt its interference on matters such as Hong Kong, Taiwan and Xinjiang, and work to repair relations.

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