MNI POLICY: China/US Talks In Oct, Constructive Call: MOFCOM

     BEIJING (MNI) - China and the U.S. have agreed unanimously to work together

and create a constructive atmosphere for the 13th round of trade talks set for

early October in Washington, said Gao Feng, a Ministry of Commerce spokesman

Thursday, when asked if the U.S. will delay its planned tariff hikes on Oct 1.

     According to Gao, the senior negotiators had very good phone call Thursday.

China's Vice Premier and top trade negotiator Liu He, senior U.S. Trade

Representative Robert Lighthizer and U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Steven

Mnuchin all spoke to confirm the meeting arrangements.

     Gao also noted that China has no plan to withdraw the case it filed at the

WTO complaining over U.S. tariff hikes, adding that this is a move to defend

China's interest and the multilateral trading system.

     A statement by the Ministry earlier Thursday said that the negotiators of

the two countries will meet in Washington in early October, with both sides

maintaining close communication and start serious consultation in mid-September

to be fully prepared for making substantive progress during the talks, the

statement said. China's Vice Premier and top trade negotiator Liu He spoke with

senior U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and U.S. Secretary of the

Treasury Steven Mnuchin in a telephone call on this morning to confirm the

meeting arrangement.

--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

[TOPICS: M$A$$$,M$Q$$$,MGQ$$$]