BEIJING — Top Chinese economic policymakers promised this weekend that Beijing was ready to open up the country’s economy to more market-based competition and international trade, in the latest sign of strong Chinese interest in ending a multi-billion-dollar trade war with the United States. Senior American officials are scheduled to come to Beijing in the coming days for trade talks, with Chinese officials then heading for Washington the following week in an attempt to wrap up a deal. But Chinese officials have an extra incentive in pledging to loosen their hold over the world’s No. The economy has slowed, creating a self-reinforcing cycle of skepticism that further private investments will be profitable. Xi Jinping, the country’s leader, has insisted that the Communist Party play an ever-greater role in corporate decision making and daily life.

Source: New York Times March 24, 2019 15:56 UTC