China undermined trade talks: US

The United States said on Thursday that China’s exemption demands risked undermining talks on eliminating trade tariffs on technology products, Reuters reported. The talks are aimed at expanding a 16-year-old World Trade Organization agreement and updating it for the internet era, cutting the import cost of a long list of items such as personal computers, laptops, telephones, fax machines, computer software, semi-conductors and many office machines. About US$4 trillion in trade is covered by the current pact, according to US think tank Information Technology & Innovation Foundation.