China, U.S. trade negotiators discuss remaining issues over phone

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Senior trade negotiators of China and the U.S. placed a phone call to discuss the remaining issues after the ninth round of high-level economic and trade talks, Chinese Commerce Ministry Spokesman Gao Feng said at a regular press briefing on Thursday.

Both sides will keep in close communication and spare no efforts to continue negotiation, Gao said.

During the ninth round of trade talks, co-chaired by Chinese Vice Premier Liu He and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, the two sides discussed the agreement text on technology transfer, protection of intellectual property rights, non-tariff measures, services, agriculture, trade balance and other issues and have achieved new progress, the spokesman said.

While meeting with former U.S. treasury secretary Henry Paulson on Thursday, Vice Premier Han Zheng held that it is imperative to advance economic and trade cooperation and work for sound and steady development of bilateral ties, with the guidance of the important consensus reached by the two heads of state.

Paulson agreed the U.S.-China relationship is one of the most important ties in the world, adding that the Paulson Institute is willing to advance cooperation between the United States and China in areas such as trade and investment, environmental protection, clean energy, and green finance.