Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Zhang Jun said on Monday he believed the talks between Chinese President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart Donald Trump on the sidelines of this week’s G20 summit would focus not only on trade dispute but also other issues of mutual interest.
“During the latest phone talks, the leaders of China and the United States agreed to meet in Osaka, teams of the two countries are in constant contact on issues concerning the organization of this meeting.
I believe that the leaders of the two countries will definitely discuss fundamental issues of mutual interest, will hold a comprehensive exchange of views, the preparations are still ongoing,” Zhang said at a press conference.
He provided no more details on the matter but noted that the sides would not raise the issue of Hong Kong during their talks.
Beijing and Washington are trying to settle an ongoing trade dispute that emerged in the wake of Trump’s decision last June to impose 25 percent tariffs on $50 billion worth of Chinese goods in a bid to fix the trade deficit. Since then, the sides have exchanged several rounds of duties.
