Chinese and American officials are meeting in Beijing this week to discuss their future economic relationship ANDY WONG/APBeijing has expressed hope that it can reach a trade deal with Washington and defuse the dispute between the world’s two largest economies as officials hold face-to-face talks. China said that it had “firm confidence” in its economy yesterday after President Trump claimed that its weakness had forced the country to the negotiating table. “From the beginning we have believed that China-US trade friction is not a positive situation for either country or the world economy,” Lu Kang, a spokesman for the Chinese foreign ministry, said. “China has the good faith, on the basis of mutual respect and equality, to resolve the bilateral trade frictions.”Presidents Xi and Trump have agreed a truce in an attempt to draw a line under months of hostilities.

Source: The Times January 07, 2019 12:00 UTC