'Much work' awaits new Sino-US trade talks

China and the United States will hold their eighth round of high-level economic and trade consultations in Beijing on Friday, with "much work" remaining to be done, the Ministry of Commerce said.

Ministry spokesman Gao Feng said on Thursday that the two nations have made some progress through recent phone discussions between Vice-Premier Liu He and US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. "But there remains much work to be done," he said.

To iron out differences over certain economic and trade issues, China and the US have been intensifying their consultations. Next week, Liu will visit Washington for the ninth round of talks.