China says trade envoys agree on phone to continue talks

China's Commerce Ministry says the lead envoys in trade talks between China and the US spoke on the phone and agreed to continue to work toward a preliminary agreement for resolving their tariff war.

The Chinese Commerce Ministry said in a brief notice that Vice Premier Liu He spoke with US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin early Tuesday Beijing time.

The official Xinhua News Agency said the two sides discussed solving issues regarding each other's core concerns, reached consensus on properly resolving related issues and agreed to maintain communication on remaining issues in consultations on the Phase 1 deal.