China hopes the United States will meet it halfway and push for a positive outcome to the upcoming meeting between the two heads of state, a foreign ministry spokesperson said.

Geng Shuang's remarks were made on Tuesday during a routine news briefing in Beijing ahead of discussions between Chinese President Xi Jinping and his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump during this week's G20 summit in Argentina.

When answering a question about Trump's statement that it was "highly unlikely" that the United States would accept China's request to hold off on a trade tariff increase, Geng said that China has repeatedly stressed that the essence of China-U.S. economic and trade cooperation was mutually beneficial and a win-win option.

China is ready to resolve economic and trade issues through dialogue and consultation on the basis of seriousness, equality and integrity, Geng said, adding that China will resolutely safeguard its legitimate rights and interests.

He said that the two leaders had an in-depth exchange of ideas on bilateral relations and issues of common concern during a recent phone conversation during which they agreed to strive for mutually acceptable solutions on economic and trade issues.

"Economic teams of the two sides are in contact to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state," Geng added.