Start trade talks soon, urges former US commerce chief

Top leaders of China and the United States should start direct dialogue on bilateral trade relations as soon as possible to avoid frictions that could lead to a trade war, former US secretary of commerce Carlos Gutierrez said on Friday.

Gutierrez, who served under former US president George W. Bush, said the two countries should finish talks on a bilateral investment treaty, which has been stalled due to the change of US administrations.

"The BIT is the beginning and it is the foundation for a free trade agreement (between the US and China). We should get started now, and the best first step is to finish the bilateral investment treaty," Gutierrez told China Daily on the sidelines of the Boao Forum for Asia.