China remains open to negotiations for settlement of trade frictions with US: diplomat

SAN FRANCISCO - Chinese Deputy Consul General in San Francisco Ren Faqiang said on Wednesday that China is willing to work with the United States to properly resolve the trade frictions based on the latest consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries.

Speaking here before a hearing called by two California Assembly committees on the influence of the US-China trade disputes on the California economy, Ren said no negotiations should be "carried out under the threat of tariff, nor at the expense of China's right to development."

In 2018, China was California's third largest trading partner, following Mexico and Canada, and Chinese investors are a leading source of foreign direct investment to California, according to official data.

In addition, 1.6 million Chinese tourists visited California last year and there are more than 20 daily flights between major cities in California and China, Ren said.

Noting that California is one of the US states which enjoys a lot of mutually beneficial cooperation with China, Ren said a sound China-US relationship serves not only the common interests of the two countries, but also the common aspirations of the international community.