Exclusive | China and US can avoid trade war - if Beijing stops ‘appropriating our technology’, says Steve Bannon in Hong Kong
Former White House chief strategist accuses China of forcing technology transfers but says conflict with the US can be avoided
Washington will release the results of an investigation into alleged Chinese intellectual property theft before a Sino–US summit in Beijing so both sides can reset bilateral trade with “a whole series of negotiations”, former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon told the South China Morning Post.
In Hong Kong for an investors forum, Bannon said on Tuesday that China and the United States had “a lot of issues over trade that need to be worked out” but conflict between them could be avoided.
“I believe we can avoid a trade war, which is detrimental to both countries. We have to somehow reach an agreement,” he said.
Bannon said trade would be at the top of US President Donald Trump’s agenda when he met his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, in November.
He said a stable trade relationship could help the two countries manage their differences over “other potential conflict points such as North Korea and the South China Sea”.
