Trade talks; NBA's poisoned China chalice

Hi everyone, I am under the weather and so today’s issue is a bit shorter and in a different format than usual.

China is back from the holiday Tuesday and I expect the newsletter should be back to normal as well tomorrow.

PRC Vice Minister Liao Min is in DC leading deputy-level trade talks in advance of Liu He’s arrival for the talks this Thursday and Friday. Today’s White House statement on the upcoming talks said:

The two sides will look to build on the deputy-level talks of the past weeks. Topics of discussion will include forced technology transfer, intellectual property rights, services, non-tariff barriers, agriculture, and enforcement.

Bloomberg reported over the weekend another version of the story that the Chinese are narrowing the scope of the trade talks:

In meetings with U.S. visitors to Beijing in recent weeks, senior Chinese officials have indicated the range of topics they’re willing to discuss has narrowed considerably, according to people familiar with the discussions.

Vice…