Advertisement
UK markets closed
  • FTSE 100

    8,139.83
    +60.97 (+0.75%)
     
  • FTSE 250

    19,824.16
    +222.18 (+1.13%)
     
  • AIM

    755.28
    +2.16 (+0.29%)
     
  • GBP/EUR

    1.1679
    +0.0022 (+0.19%)
     
  • GBP/USD

    1.2494
    -0.0017 (-0.13%)
     
  • Bitcoin GBP

    51,140.90
    -656.87 (-1.27%)
     
  • CMC Crypto 200

    1,383.71
    -12.82 (-0.96%)
     
  • S&P 500

    5,099.96
    +51.54 (+1.02%)
     
  • DOW

    38,239.66
    +153.86 (+0.40%)
     
  • CRUDE OIL

    83.66
    +0.09 (+0.11%)
     
  • GOLD FUTURES

    2,349.60
    +7.10 (+0.30%)
     
  • NIKKEI 225

    37,934.76
    +306.28 (+0.81%)
     
  • HANG SENG

    17,651.15
    +366.61 (+2.12%)
     
  • DAX

    18,161.01
    +243.73 (+1.36%)
     
  • CAC 40

    8,088.24
    +71.59 (+0.89%)
     

China, U.S. aim for common ground in trade talks to resolve issues - ministry

FILE PHOTO: Chinese and U.S. flags flutter outside a company building in Shanghai

BEIJING (Reuters) - Normal discussions between China and the United States on the trade and economic fronts have resumed and both sides will start to pragmatically solve some concrete issues for producers and consumers, China's commerce ministry said on Thursday.

The discussions aimed at solving various issues comes after a period of strained relations between the world's two biggest economies, including a nearly two-year tit-for-tat trade war.

China's Vice Premier Liu He, who has led trade negotiations with the United States, has held two video calls with U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen in less than a week, marking the first formal engagement between the two sides on trade and economic issues under the new Biden administration.

Both calls lasted about 50 minutes, commerce ministry spokesman Gao Feng told a regular news conference, adding that conversations started smoothly and Sino-U.S. trade, macro-economic situations and domestic policies were among the topics.

ADVERTISEMENT

"Seeking common ground while setting aside differences was the consensus," said Gao.

China also raised its specific concerns based on the performance of its domestic economy, he said.

"In the next step, the two sides, in the interests of both countries and the world, agreed to work together and pragmatically solve some specific issues for producers and consumers, and push forward the healthy developments of Sino-U.S. trade and economic relations," Gao said.

(Reporting by Xu Jing, Stella Qiu and Ryan Woo; Editing by Robert Birsel)