Bilateral talks between Chinese Vice Premier Liu He and US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Tuesday were pragmatic, professional and in-depth, covering a wide range of topics in the economic and trade field, a spokesperson with China’s Commerce Ministry said on Thursday.
During the video phone call that lasted for 90 minutes, both sides believe that the global economic recovery is at a critical juncture, and it is very important for China and the US to strengthen macro-policy communication and coordination, commerce ministry spokesperson Shu Jueting told a press conference in Beijing on Thursday, when asked by both domestic and foreign media about the high-level dialogue on Tuesday.
The two sides exchanged and discussed the world’s macroeconomic situation and the policy approach of China and the US, including the growth trend, inflationary pressure, financial stability, supply chain and other concerning issues, Shu said.
Since May, Chinese representatives have spoken twice with Yellen and the US government’s Trade Representative Katherine Tai.
The two sides agreed to continue to maintain communication at all levels in the next step to promote pragmatic cooperation and solve specific problems from the perspective of benefiting China, the United States and the world as a whole.
Senior representatives of both countries also raised their respective concerns during the call, during which Chinese side expressed its concerns over the US’ tariffs on Chinese goods and the sanctions imposed on Chinese companies.
China believes that under the current situation, the removal of additional tariffs is in the fundamental interests of consumers and producers in China and the US, and is conducive to the recovery of the global economy, Shu added.
The two sides also exchanged views on specific cooperation in multilateral and bilateral fields such as financial market supervision and cooperation under the G20 framework.
In responding to a US media question about whether both sides plan to call again in the near future, the spokesperson confirmed that China has always maintained an open attitude toward the dialogue and communication between the heads of the commerce ministry of China and the US.
Source: Global Times