China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) on Thursday denied a media report suggesting that Beijing was weighing a new economic envoy with Washington and reiterated that both sides should address concerns through consultations based on mutual respect and equality.
Asked about the Wall Street Journal report at a press briefing in Beijing, Gao Feng, a spokesperson for the MOFCOM, said that the report was untrue.
Citing unidentified sources, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday that China was “considering whether to replace Vice Premier Liu He as its top economic envoy with Washington.”
The report came as US Trade Representative Katherine Tai recently suggested that she was expecting to meet her Chinese counterpart “in the near term” for talks over US tariffs on hundreds of billions of dollars in Chinese products.
Commenting on the subject, Gao said on Thursday that the Chinese side noticed such report and that “if there will be further [development], it will be released timely.”
However, the spokesperson stressed that China’s stance on tariffs is very clear that unilaterally imposing tariffs is not good for China, the US or the world.
“The China-US trade relationship is mutually beneficial in nature. Both sides should address each other’s reasonable concerns through dialogue and consultation on the basis of mutual respect and equal treatment,” Gao said.
Photo: Li Qiaoyi/GT
