Senior Chinese and U.S. trade officials spoke by telephone on Tuesday as the Chinese side lodged solemn representation on additional tariffs on Chinese goods scheduled to start next month, China's Ministry of Commerce said in a statement.
The statement was issued at around the same time that U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer's office said the United States will delay imposing a 10% tariff on certain of the products, including laptops and cell phones.
The Chinese statement made no mention of this planned delay.
Chinese Vice Premier Liu He spoke with Lighthizer and U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Tuesday evening, the statement said. "Both sides agree to talk again on the phone within two weeks," it said.
Chinese Commerce Minister Zhong Shan, Central Bank Governor Yi Gang were also on the call, the statement said.
U.S. President Donald Trump announced earlier this month that Washington planned to impose 10% tariffs on the remaining $300 billion in Chinese imports, ending a month-long trade truce.
Reporting by Meg Shen and Se Young Lee
