US and China set to hold trade talks in Geneva, Switzerland

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• 00:00

  Hello and welcome to World Business Report from the BBC World Service.

• 00:04

  I'm Roger Hearing and on this edition we'll be looking at the prospects for this weekend's US-China talks in Geneva and asking

• 00:11

  if the tariff war can be eased.

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  We'll be hearing from businesses hit by high surcharges and from former trade negotiators on what could be achieved in Geneva.

• 00:23

  Plus, Gulf of Mexico or Gulf of America?

• 00:26

  Well, now Mexico is suing Google over all that.

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  But first,

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  the Swiss city of Geneva has seen some very consequential peace talks over the last couple of centuries.

• 00:36

  Well,

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  the discussions coming up on Saturday and Sunday between China and the United States might not be about ending a real war,

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  but they could help bring peace to the conflict over trade that's caused global economic turmoil in recent months.

• 00:50

  The US Treasury Secretary, Scott Besant, and the Chinese Vice Premier, He Lifeng, will talk tariffs.

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  which are currently 145% on most Chinese imports to the US.

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  Donald Trump said on social media an 80% tariff on Chinese goods seems right,

• 01:07

  but in his words it was up to Scott B. Well,

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  here's the press secretary, Caroline Levitt, speaking to reporters ahead of those talks.

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  The president still remains with his position that he is not going to unilaterally bring down tariffs on China.

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  We need to see concessions from them as well.

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  And again,

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  that's part of the reason that Secretary Besson is going to talk to his Chinese counterparts this weekend to start those discussions in person.

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