On the 11th (local time), Vice Premier He Lifeng of the China State Council said regarding the first trade negotiations with the United States held in Geneva, Switzerland, 'The talks were constructive and made significant progress.'
Vice Premier He is the chief representative of China in the U.S.-China trade negotiations.
After concluding the U.S.-China negotiations held over two days starting from the 10th, he noted, 'A joint statement will be announced on the 12th,' adding, 'We have reached important consensus.'
He further added, 'Both sides agreed to establish a trade and economic cooperation mechanism and will continue follow-up discussions.'
He also mentioned, 'China has always pursued win-win results in trade negotiations,' stating, 'China is prepared to manage differences and expand areas of cooperation with the United States.'
Earlier, the chief representative from the U.S., Secretary of the Treasury Scott Vessenet, also met with reporters after the negotiations concluded, stating regarding the first official trade negotiations with China, 'There has been substantial progress and it was productive.'
Secretary Vessenet added, 'The discussions were productive,' and 'President Trump is fully aware of the ongoing situation. We will provide a detailed briefing tomorrow morning (the 12th).'
Jamison Greer, representative from the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) who participated in the negotiations with Secretary Vessenet, said the two days of negotiations were 'very constructive.'
Representative Greer also explained regarding the differences in opinions with China, 'They were not as large as we previously thought.'