US talks laid the foundation, China

China said yesterday that trade talks in Beijing with a US negotiating team had “laid the foundation” to resolve concerns held by both sides in a bruising trade war. US officials visited Beijing from Monday to Wednesday for the first sit-down talks since President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping agreed on December 1 to a three-month truce in the escalating spat. China and the US “conducted extensive, in-depth and meticulous exchanges... which enhanced mutual understanding and laid the foundation for resolving issues of mutual concern,” the Chinese commerce ministry said in a statement.

“Both parties agreed to continue to maintain close contact.” When asked about progress in those areas on Thursday, China’s commerce ministry spokesman Gao Feng said that structural issues were a focus of the talks. “Negotiations between the two sides in this area made progress,” he said. The US Trade Representative office said Wednesday that the talks focused on “ways to achieve fairness, reciprocity, and balance in trade relations”, as well as the need for “ongoing verification and effective enforcement” of any agreement.

“The Chinese side also believes that the implementation mechanism of any agreement is very important and both parties have an obligation to carry it out,” Gao told reporters during a regular press conference. “For the next step, both sides will continue to work hard together, and advance the negotiation work according to the original plan.” “The talks also focused on China’s pledge to purchase a substantial amount of agricultural, energy, manufactured goods, and other products and services from the United States,” USTR said in a statement.