US Trade Rep Lighthizer denies conveying tariff delay on talks

Following earlier reports that US Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross affirmed America's plan to increase Chinese tariffs to 25% in January, US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer is backpedaling amidst criticism, claiming that he never explicitly said that the next tranche of US tariffs on China was on hold amidst rising potential for talks between the countries.

It was heavily inferred from a meeting between leading business executives and Lighthizer that the US was putting the next stage of the Sino-US trade war on hold as the two sides look closer to returning to the negotiating table, and Lighthizer's earlier hints at easing trade tensions have been torpedoed.