LONDON – The first meeting of the China-US economic and trade consultation mechanism began in London on Monday.

Vice-Premier He Lifeng attended the meeting with United States representatives. The meeting followed the latest phone call between the two countries’ heads of state last week.

The mechanism was set up as part of a consensus reached during high-level China-US economic and trade talks held in the Swiss city of Geneva last month between He, the Chinese lead person for China-US trade and economic affairs, and US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.

According to a joint statement released on May 12 after the Geneva talks, under the mechanism, discussions “may be conducted alternately in China and the United States, or a third country upon agreement of the Parties”.

A UK government spokesman said on Sunday: “The next round of trade talks between the US and China will be held in the UK on Monday. We are a nation that champions free trade and have always been clear that a trade war is in nobody’s interests, so we welcome these talks.”

Asia News Network/China Daily