The Chinese and U.S. delegations held frank, in-depth and constructive communication based on mutual respect and equal consultations on economic and trade issues of mutual concern, including the TikTok app, a senior Chinese official said Monday.
Both sides fully recognize that stable Sino-US economic and trade relations are of great importance to both countries and also have a great impact on global economic stability and development, Li Chenggang, China's representative for international trade at the Ministry of Commerce and vice minister of commerce, said at the briefing.
As two large countries with different levels of development and economic systems, Li said it is normal for China and the US to encounter frictions and differences in the course of trade and economic cooperation. He stressed that the key is to respect each other's core interests and major concerns and find appropriate solutions through dialogue and consultation.
On the TikTok issue, China has always opposed the politicization, instrumentalization and weaponization of technology as well as economic and trade issues, and will never seek to reach any agreement at the expense of principles, the interests of companies or international justice and equality, Li said.
China will firmly uphold national interests, legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises and approve technology exports in accordance with relevant laws and regulations, Li said, adding that the Chinese government also fully respects the will of enterprises and supports them in conducting business negotiations on an equal basis in accordance with market principles.
During the meeting, the two sides held frank and in-depth discussions on TikTok and the relevant concerns of the Chinese side, and reached a basic framework agreement on resolving TikTok-related issues through cooperation, reducing investment barriers and promoting relevant economic and trade cooperation, Li said.
The two sides will continue to maintain close communication, discuss the details of the respective final documents, and each will go through national approval procedures, Li added.
On the basis of the important consensus reached by the two heads of state during their telephone conversation, the two sides will continue to actively implement the results of previous Sino-US economic and trade negotiations, make full use of the Sino-US trade consultation mechanism, continuously strengthen mutual understanding, reduce misunderstandings, strengthen cooperation and strive for more win-win results, bringing more stability to Sino-US economic relations and the global economy, Li said.
At the press conference, Wang Jingtao, deputy director of the Cyberspace Administration of China, said the two sides have reached a basic consensus on fully respecting the will of enterprises and market rules in addressing the TikTok issue through methods such as entrusting the operation of TikTok's business of securing users' data and content in the US and licensing the use of the algorithm and other intellectual property rights.
The Chinese government will review and approve relevant matters related to TikTok, such as technology export and intellectual property licensing, in accordance with relevant laws and regulations, Wang added.
The Chinese government has always firmly protected the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises and encouraged them to actively explore and develop abroad, he added.
Li also said that the reason why the Chinese side agreed to the consensus is that, based on its assessment, China has concluded that such a consensus is in their common interest.
Li said the Chinese side has noted that the US side continues to expand sanctions against Chinese entities even after a series of economic and trade consultations between the two countries.
Li said the United States has overplayed the concept of national security and is continuously expanding the list of sanctions against Chinese entities, with its long arm of jurisdiction reaching further and further, which he described as a typical act of unilateral bullying that violates international law and basic norms governing international relations.
China strongly opposes this and has expressed serious concerns to the US side during the talks, Li added.
The U.S. side cannot on the one hand ask China to address U.S. concerns and on the other hand continuously suppress Chinese enterprises, he said, adding that China urges the United States to correct its mistakes, lift these restrictions as soon as possible, and work with China to jointly safeguard the hard-won achievements of Sino-U.S. economic and trade consultations to promote the healthy, stable and sustainable development of bilateral economic and trade relations.
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