U.S. Vice President Mike Pence does not plan to open discussions on specific industry sectors such as agriculture and automobiles when he and Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso hold the inaugural session of a bilateral economic dialogue on Tuesday in Tokyo, according to a senior White House official.
Pence's goal "is really to establish a bilateral framework" for future discussions on economic and trade issues with Japan, the official told reporters in previewing Pence's four-nation Asian tour, which also includes stops in South Korea, Indonesia and Australia.
"This is going to stay very high level, anticipating just identifying the framework in the areas in which we'll go forward," the official said. "But I don't think it's going to get into specific industry level at this time."