Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao called for China and the United States to make joint efforts to manage uncertainties and expand cooperation on trade during a meeting with the US ambassador to China, David Perdue, in Beijing on Thursday.
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The two countries should maintain a “correct understanding” of the fact that China and the US must find ways to coexist and that win-win outcomes could be achieved, Wang said, according to a statement released by the commerce ministry after the meeting.
“Economic and trade ties should continue to serve as the ballast and engine of China-US relations, not as a stumbling block or a source of conflict,” Wang said, adding that the two sides should uphold the bilateral economic and trade consultation mechanism put in place earlier this year.
But Wang also expressed concerns over a range of US policies during the meeting, including its unilateral imposition of tariffs, export controls, restrictions on two-way investments, tougher visa screenings and restrictive clauses in agreements with third parties, according to the statement.
He also laid out China’s position in relation to the dispute over Nexperia – a Chinese-owned chip company that was seized by the Dutch government in late September – and exchanged views with Perdue on the implementation of measures agreed during recent bilateral economic and trade consultations, the statement said.
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China was willing to work with the US to implement the consensus reached by Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump, Wang said.
After the two leaders met in late October, the two countries pledged to roll back tariffs on each other’s goods and suspend a series of other trade restrictions, with China agreeing to pause its expanded export controls over rare earth minerals.