China, US to resume trade talks

BEIJING, June 20 (Reuters): Top Chinese and US officials will resume trade talks in accordance with the wishes of their leaders, but China hopes the United States will create the necessary conditions for dialogue, the Chinese commerce ministry said on Thursday.

Negotiations to reach a broad trade deal broke down last month after US officials accused China of backing away from previously agreed commitments.

But hopes for a revival of negotiations have been rekindled by a telephone call on Wednesday between US President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, and confirmation they will meet next week in Japan at a G20 summit.

US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said on Wednesday he would speak by telephone to Liu He, China's vice premier and chief negotiator in the trade talks, "in the next day and a half".

"The heads of the two trade teams will communicate, according to instructions passed down from the two presidents," Chinese commerce ministry spokesman Gao Feng told reporters, without elaborating.

"We hope (the United States) will create the necessary conditions and atmosphere for solving problems through dialogue as equals."