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WASHINGTON, Feb. 21-- China and the United States kicked off a fresh round of high-level economic and trade talks here on Thursday morning, as negotiators strive to beat a 90-day deadline that ends on March 1. The Chinese delegation is headed by Vice Premier Liu He, who also came as the special envoy of Chinese President Xi Jinping; while the U.S. team includes Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. Liu, Lighthizer and Mnuchin co-chaired the formal opening at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building of the White House. The Chinese attendees of the opening included Governor of the People's Bank of China Yi Gang, Chinese Ambassador to the United States Cui Tiankai, Deputy Director of the Office of the Central Commission for Financial and Economic Affairs and Vice Finance Minister Liao Min, Vice Foreign Minister Zheng Zeguang, Vice Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs Han Jun, Vice Minister of Commerce and Deputy China International Trade Representative Wang Shouwen, as well as Cong Liang, secretary general of the National Development and Reform Commission. On the U.S. side, major officials attending the opening included Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, Director of the National Economic Council Larry Kudlow, and Peter Navarro, assistant to the president for trade and manufacturing policy and director of the National Trade Council, among others. The two-day talks, the seventh round since last February, came on the heels of the just-concluded round held in Beijing from Feb. 14 to 15, and the working-level consultation between the two sides has started here earlier on Tuesday. | 
