China, US authorities discuss trade negotiations

Authorities from China and the US on Wednesday discussed the 90-day truce aimed at putting an end to the trade war between the two countries, China's Commerce Ministry said.

In a statement on its official website, the Ministry said it the two sides held a phone call at a "vice-ministerial level" about economic and trade issues that concern both nations.

China did not reveal the proposals discussed over the call, or if a new agreement had been reached, Efe news reported.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart Donald Trump agreed to a 90-day truce on December 1 during the G20 summit in the Argentinian capital of Buenos Aires.

Since then, China has adopted several goodwill measures, including a tariff reduction on imported US vehicles and the resumption of American soy bean purchases.

Trump, on his part, halted a proposal that would have raised tariffs on over $200 billion of Chinese goods from 10 to 25 per cent.

Negotiations have been threatened by tensions over the detention of Huawei's Chief Financial Officer Wanzhou Meng, who was arrested in Canada after a request by US authorities for the alleged violation of economic sanctions imposed by Washington against Iran.

--IANS

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