China accepts invitation for US trade talks

CHINA has received an invitation from the United States for Vice Premier Liu He to lead a delegation to visit the US for further economic and trade consultations in the wake of an American delegation, led by US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, coming to Beijing last week.

The Ministry of Commerce said yesterday that the Chinese side has accepted the invitation, which came from Mnuchin, agreeing to visit the US at a “proper time.”

Teams from both sides are maintaining close communications, the ministry said.

As a special envoy of President Xi Jinping, Liu is chief of the Chinese side of the ChinaUS comprehensive economic dialogue.

During a phone conversation with US President Donald Trump on Tuesday, Xi said China and the US should maintain communication to try to find a way to resolve their trade issues and achieve mutually beneficial results.

The two leaders also exchanged views on China-US relations, as well as the situation on the Korean Peninsula.

Xi said the development of SinoUS relations is now at a key stage, adding that he highly values the development of bilateral ties and cherishes his good working relationship with Trump.

Xi hopes that the two countries will earnestly implement the consensus reached by him and Trump during the US president’s visit to China last November.

The two countries should maintain high-level exchanges and those at all levels under the principles of mutual respect and mutual benefit, Xi said, adding that the two sides should focus on cooperation and work to manage differences so as to promote a healthy and stable development of bilateral ties.

Economic and trade cooperation has always played the role of ballast and propeller in ChinaUS relations, Xi said, adding that the two sides had open, efficient and constructive negotiations last week in Beijing on the trade issue.

For his part, Trump said Washington attaches great importance to the US-China relations and he is looking forward to maintaining close contact with Xi.

Trump expressed his willingness to make concerted efforts with China to strengthen practical cooperation in various fields, properly handle the bilateral trade issue, and promote relations to achieve greater development so as to benefit the two peoples.