Chinese Vice Premier Liu He, who oversees economic issues, spoke to his US counterpart Janet Yellen on Tuesday as China and the United States try to resume dialogue on their trade disputes.
Relations between the two powers had deteriorated noticeably under the former administration of President Trump (2017-2021), which launched a trade war against the Asian giant.
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It resulted in additional reciprocal customs surcharges on many goods, which still apply despite a truce signed between the two countries in January 2020.
"
Pragmatic, frank and constructive
"
In a video exchange Tuesday with US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, Liu He had "
pragmatic, frank and constructive exchanges,
" the Chinese Ministry of Commerce said in a statement.
On this occasion, China expressed "
its concern
" about US trade sanctions and called for their cancellation, it is said.
"
The two parties have agreed to maintain the dialogue,
" the document adds.
This is the second meeting between Liu He and the Biden administration this month after an exchange with the United States Trade Representative (USTR), Katherine Tai.
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The punitive tariffs marked the start of a trade war between the two economic giants, which severely penalized supply chains globally.
"
The developments in our two economies have important implications for the world economy
", noted Janet Yellen, according to the official American report, which qualifies the exchange with Liu He of "
frank
".
Beijing and Washington had signed a truce in early 2020, just before the world was paralyzed by the Covid-19 epidemic.
Under the terms of the deal, China agreed to purchase an additional $ 200 billion in US goods over two years.
