China-US Trade: Beijing confirms plans for January trade talks with Washington

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The Chinese Ministry of Commerce has confirmed China and the US will engage in trade talks in January. The ministry spokesperson said Thursday that the two sides have been closely communicating on details of the future meetings on the issue. CGTN's Sun Tianyuan reports.

The Chinese Ministry of Commerce Thursday confirmed its plan for January talks with Washington on trade issues. Trade tensions between the two sides have been improving since the Chinese and US presidents sat down together at the recent G20 meeting in Argentina.

GAO FENG, SPOKESPERSON CHINESE MINISTRY OF COMMERCE "Both sides have been in close contact since the meeting between President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart. We will arrange talks when needed to further implement the result of that meeting."

Xi and Trump agreed in Argentina to delay an increase of tariffs on 200 billion US dollars worth of Chinese goods. Gao says China welcomed the decision and will in turn reduce tariffs on US cars.

GAO FENG, SPOKESPERSON CHINESE MINISTRY OF COMMERCE "We believe if both sides can take care of each other's interests and work jointly in the same direction, we can implement the consensus reached by the heads of state."

Both sides have taken measures to send positive signals on trade. Gao calls the progress an important condition for fruitful consultation. The two sides also exchanged views on issues such as intellectual property rights during a vice-ministerial-level talk on Wednesday.

SUN TIANYUAN BEIJING "The spokesperson added that bilateral trade and cooperation have played an important role in promoting China-US trade over the years. He says the two nations should further utilize the potential of trade and cooperation despite their differences. Sun Tianyuan, CGTN, Beijing."