Conditions needed for planned Washington trade talks

China and the United States are "discussing" the Washington trade talks previously planned for September, which require the creation of necessary conditions, the Ministry of Commerce said on Thursday.

Gao Feng, a spokesman for the ministry, said at a weekly news briefing that the two nations are discussing whether the Chinese trade delegation will visit Washington as scheduled next month for a new round of economic and trade consultations.

Both sides should work together and create conditions for progress in future negotiations, Gao said.

He said the trade teams of both sides have maintained effective communication, but he didn't confirm whether there will be another phone call between the two countries this week.

This heightened uncertainty in the yearlong China-US trade conflict after the US administration recently announced fresh tariff moves. On Sunday, Washington's latest duty list targeting about $550 billion in Chinese goods - virtually all of China's exports to the US - will come into force.

More than 200 US footwear companies called on the US administration on Wednesday to cancel tariffs that are scheduled to take effect Sept 1, and a coalition of more than 160 US business organizations asked the government to postpone all tariff increases on Chinese goods.

Gao said China is lodging "solemn representations" with the US for the additional tariffs that begin this weekend. China has ample countermeasures, but what should be discussed is that Washington must cancel planned additional tariffs to avoid an escalation in the trade war, Gao said.

China is willing to resolve the issues with the US through a calm attitude and hopes the US will meet China halfway, he added.

Huo Jianguo, vice-chairman of the China Society for WTO Studies, said China will hold to the bottom line when dealing with the challenges posed by the US. To continue trade talks, the US must show its sincerity and call off new tariffs on Chinese imports, Huo said at a seminar in Beijing on Tuesday.

China will impose extra tariffs on $75 billion worth of US goods. It is the third round of tariffs in response to planned US levies targeting Chinese products.

According to the Customs Tariff Commission of the State Council, certain US exports to China will face tariffs added to those from previous rounds of China's countermeasures. The commission said on Thursday that for US products subject to China's different duty lists, the tariff rate will be cumulative.

Duties of 25 percent and 5 percent on US-made vehicles and auto parts will resume on Dec 15. Besides that, some of the products' levy rates will face a further rise when China's third round of tariffs targeting the US imports takes effect.

The commission will take applications for exemptions to the third round of additional tariffs on US imports worth $75 billion.

Zhao Huanxin in Washington contributed to this story.