Trade negotiations must be done in good faith, says Foreign Ministry

During the regular press briefing at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday, ministry spokesman Lu Kang said that China believes negotiation is the right way to solve problems, but that the negotiations must be done in good faith.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang speaks at a regular briefing on May 16, 2019. [Photo: fmprc.gov.cn]

The spokesman made the remark in response to a question about the trade negotiations between China and the United States. Specifically, he was asked about a comment by U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin that he hopes to visit China soon for the next round of talks.

China always says that dialogue is the right way to solve frictions in China-.U.S trade, said Lu. Although China believes the United States has deviated from accepted principles of negotiation, he said that China is maintaining a proactive attitude.

Lu emphasized that the negotiations must be done respectfully, in good faith, and with mutual benefit as the goal if progress is to be made, and that "the U.S. side must be honest and match their words and their actions."

U.S. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin testifies before a Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee hearing in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, May 15, 2019. [Photo: AFP]