FIVE days before hopes of a deal receded dramatically, a private chat between China’s Liu He and the US’ Robert Lighthizer and Steven Mnuchin changed the mood. The three broke away from the rest of the negotiation teams. Accompanied only by a Chinese interpreter, they entered a small room at the meeting venue and stayed inside for nearly an hour.When they emerged, they did not give any briefings or instructions to their aides. But their expressions were stern and gloomy, according to a person who was present. A sense of foreboding permeated the meeting hall, but nobody dared to ask why.Click here to go to the SCMP article: Was this the moment US-China trade talks fell apart?

Source: The Star May 29, 2019 00:11 UTC