China says U.S. meeting constructive despite tariffs
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hinese officials led by Vice Minister of Commerce and Deputy China International Trade Representative Wang Shouwen met with U.S. Treasury officials on Wednesday and Thursday in Washington DC.
On Thursday, however, both the U.S. and China each imposed 25% duties on $16 billion worth of goods - bringing the total value of tariffs imposed by each side to $50 billion since their trade war kicked off in July.
Xinhua reported on Friday that the officials had pledged to "keep in contact" in the future.
The U.S. accuses China of unfair trading practices, particularly on technology. U.S. President Donald Trump also wants to slash the countries' trade deficit, which reached $375 billion last year.
Trump has threatened to impose tariffs on a total of $550 billion worth of Chinese goods. This exceeds total Chinese exports to the US last year, which were worth $505 billion. ■