BEIJING - China and the United States have maintained close economic and trade communication at multiple levels, a spokesperson for China's Ministry of Commerce said on Thursday.

Spokesperson He Yongqian made the remarks at a regular press briefing when responding to a question about whether the US commerce secretary and other senior US trade officials would meet with Chinese negotiators in early August.

Since May this year, guided by the consensus reached between the heads of state of China and the United States, the economic and trade teams of both countries have held high-level trade talks in Geneva and London, establishing a consensus in Geneva and a framework in London, the spokesperson said, adding that the teams have been working to implement these outcomes, which have stabilized bilateral trade relations.

It is hoped that the United States will work with China in the same direction, adhere to the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation, and make good use of the China-US economic and trade consultation mechanism while continuing to strengthen dialogue and communication, said the spokesperson.

The spokesperson also called on the US side to take concrete actions to uphold and implement the important consensus reached between the two heads of state during their recent phone talks, with the aim of promoting stable, healthy, sustainable China-US economic and trade relations, and of injecting more certainty and stability into global economic development. 

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Critical minerals

In response to a question about critical minerals reportedly being transshipped to the US, He stressed China has already launched a special operation to combat smuggling of strategic minerals, while continuing to process legitimate export applications for civilian use.

The spokesperson said strategic minerals like antimony and gallium have clear dual-use properties for both military and civilian applications, and export controls are consistent with common international practice.

To firmly prevent illegal outflows, in May this year, China launched a special operation targeting the smuggling of strategic minerals, the spokesperson said, adding that relevant information is available on the ministry's website.

The spokesperson emphasized that as a responsible major country, China fully considers the reasonable civilian demands from various countries for these strategic minerals.

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China reviews export license applications in accordance with laws and regulations, and approves those that comply with requirements, He said.