- Title: China hopes U.S. will create conditions necessary for Sept. trade talks
- Date: 29th August 2019
- Summary: BEIJING, CHINA (AUGUST 29, 2019) (REUTERS) CHINESE COMMERCE MINISTRY SPOKESMAN, GAO FENG, ARRIVING AT NEWS CONFERENCE JOURNALISTS SITTING (SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) CHINESE COMMERCE MINISTRY SPOKESMAN, GAO FENG, WHEN ASKED ABOUT THE U.S.-CHINA TRADE DISCUSSION PHONE CALLS WHICH U.S. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP SAID TOOK PLACE LAST WEEKEND, SAYING: "Both trade teams have indeed maintained effective communication. Regarding details; currently I don't have any more information to share. Currently there are all kinds of rumours. In the area of trade we will clarify some facts so that everyone can find out what the real situation is." JOURNALISTS SITTING (SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) CHINESE COMMERCE MINISTRY SPOKESMAN, GAO FENG, SAYING: "Regarding the (proposed) September talks in the U.S., both sides are now discussing this issue. The most important thing at the moment is to create necessary conditions for both sides to continue negotiations. We noted Mr. Kudlow's comments. China believes that if it takes part in talks in the U.S., both sides should work together to create the conditions to (help) push the talks towards achieving progress." JOURNALIST SITTING (SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) CHINESE COMMERCE MINISTRY SPOKESMAN, GAO FENG, SAYING: "China's possesses ample options for retaliatory measures. But in the current climate we believe that what we should be discussing is to (first) cancel the new tariffs on $550 billion of Chinese goods and prevent the trade war from getting more and more serious. Currently China is lodging solemn representations with the United States over this." NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS
- Embargoed: 12th September 2019 10:42
- Keywords: trade war trade dispute Trump Liu He trade talks
- Location: BEIJING, CHINA
- City: BEIJING, CHINA
- Country: China
- Topics: Government/Politics,International Trade
- Reuters ID: LVA001AU9RGAV
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: China and the United States are discussing the next round of face-to-face trade talks scheduled for September, China's commerce ministry said on Thursday (August 29), but hopes for progress hinge on whether Washington can create favourable conditions, it added.
In the latest tit-for-tat escalation of the trade war between the world's two largest economies, U.S. President Donald Trump last Friday (August 23) heaped an additional duty of 5% on about $550 billion in targeted Chinese goods. The move came hours after China had unveiled retaliatory tariffs on $75-billion worth of U.S. goods.
China hopes the United States can cancel the planned additional tariffs to avoid an escalation in the trade war, its commerce ministry spokesman, Gao Feng, told reporters at a weekly briefing in Beijing on Thursday.
For two years, the Trump administration has sought to pressure China to eliminate what it calls unfair trade practices and make sweeping changes to its policies on intellectual property protection, forced transfers of technology to Chinese firms, industrial subsidies and market access. But China has constantly denied such accusations, vowing to fight back in kind and criticizing U.S. measures as protectionist.
(Production: Martin Pollard) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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