US expects no issues in China 'fulfilling their commitments' despite coronavirus

WASHINGTON: US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Thursday he expected China to maintain its commitment despite the coronavirus outbreak that has killed hundreds and jolted the Chinese economy.

China made the commitment to boost purchases of American goods and services by at least $200 billion over the next two years as part of its Phase 1 trade deal with the US, though a Chinese media report said Beijing was considering invoking the accord’s disaster-related clause that allows for implementation delays.

But Mnuchin said he expected the trade deal to continue being implemented as planned. “Based on current information, I don’t expect there will be any issues in them fulfilling their commitments,” he said in an interview with Fox Business Network.

Mnuchin also downplayed concerns that the outbreak could affect global supply chains, saying the Trump administration had not seen major issues.

“At this point, we haven’t seen big issues in regards to supply chains, but again this is something we’re monitoring very carefully,” Mnuchin said.