MNI: China and US Still Working Towards Trade Solutions: Spox

By Wanxia Lin

     BEIJING (MNI) - Officials from both China and the U.S continue to work

constructively ahead of upcoming G20 Summit in Argentina, looking for an outcome

acceptable to both sides, Gao Feng, a spokesman for the Ministry of Commerce

said Thursday. 

     Feng gave no indications as to how much progress China and the U.S. have

made towards resolving the trade spat ahead of the much-anticipated meeting

between Chinese President Xi Jinping and his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump on

the summit sidelines.

     Instead of directly responding to President Trump's recent warning of again

raising tariffs, Gao said that the essence of Sino-U.S. economic and trade

cooperation was in seeking mutual benefits.

     Gao also called for the U.S. to take the same path as China and actively

seek to achieve positive outcomes from the Xi-Trump meeting.

     - WTO REFORM

     Without naming the U.S. directly, Gao said some countries have blocked the

appointment of members for the WTO's appeal system, threatening the normal

operation of the system and posing a risk to the multilateral trade system.

     China, the EU and most of the world's large economies outside the U.S. have

recently submitted two proposals to reform the WTO dispute settlement system.

The proposals aim to protect and promote the independence and impartiality of

the dispute settlement system, said Gao.

--MNI Beijing Bureau; +86 (10) 8532-5998; email: wanxia.lin@marketnews.com

--MNI London Bureau; tel: +44 203-586-2225; email: les.commons@marketnews.com

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