SHANGHAI - A modern China with a huge population is an opportunity, not a threat, for the United States, a senior Chinese official told his American counterpart during trade discussions on Saturday.
Wang Shouwen, vice-minister of commerce, made the remarks in discussions with Marisa Lago, the US Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade, in the city of Tianjin, according to the Ministry of Commerce.
The meeting was the second this year involving the two officials and came amid trade tensions between the two superpowers.
China’s commerce ministry said earlier this week that the United States should lift all tariffs on Chinese goods, ahead of an announcement by the Biden administration on expected increases in levies on Chinese-made items, including electric vehicles.
In a statement on Saturday the ministry said the two sides had conducted “professional, rational and pragmatic” talks on policy and business issues raised by the business communities of both countries.
It added that China was focused on expressing concerns about issues including US tariffs on Chinese goods, and said China was opposed to the imposition of trade and investment restrictions under the pretext of overcapacity.
Washington has argued that some sectors have been supported by central and regonal governments to the point where there are too many players. This has led to overcapacity and resulted in cheap products being dumped in foreign markets, the US says.