(CNBC)
China is willing to calmly resolve the trade dispute with the United States and is against any further escalation in tensions, Gao Feng, spokesman for China’s Ministry of Commerce, said Thursday.
“We firmly reject an escalation of the trade war, and are willing to negotiate and collaborate in order to solve this problem with a calm attitude,” Gao said, according to a CNBC translation of his Mandarin-language remarks. He noted that the Chinese and U.S. trade delegations have maintained “effective” communication.
But he did not confirm a claim from President Donald Trump on Monday which said the Chinese team had called the U.S. over the weekend with the desire of reaching a deal soon. China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has previously said it is unaware of the call that Trump described.
“China has plenty of means for counter measures, but under current situation, the question that should be discussed right now is about removing the U.S.′ new tariffs on $550 billion Chinese goods to prevent escalation of the trade war,” Gao said. Read more