China has indicated a readiness to expand economic and trade cooperation with the United States, China's Commerce Ministry said, after a conversation between Commerce Minister Wang Wentao and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.
The exchange took place at a World Trade Organization meeting in Cameroon on Thursday, according to the ministry's statement. Wang told Greer that economic and trade relations should serve as the engine of China-U.S. relations and urged that both sides "properly handle the relationship between competition and cooperation."
Wang called for both countries to intensify mutually beneficial cooperation, to "avoid vicious competition" and to work together to promote healthy and stable bilateral economic and trade ties. Those remarks reflect Beijing's view that trade and economic engagement should be prioritized as central components of the broader relationship between the two governments.
In the same meeting, Wang conveyed "serious concern" about recent U.S. actions under Section 301. The Commerce Ministry statement cited concern about the United States' Section 301 investigations targeting several economies, including China. The U.S. Trade Representative's office said in March that it had begun a second set of Section 301 unfair trade practices probes of 60 economies in relation to what it described as failures to take action on forced labour.
The published account of the exchange framed Wang's comments as a call for balance - stressing cooperation while recognizing competition - and highlighted Beijing's unease with the U.S. investigation process referenced by the Section 301 actions. Beyond conveying those positions, the ministry's statement did not provide additional operational details about follow-up steps or specific areas for tightened cooperation.
Officials from both sides met on the margins of an international trade gathering, and the statements released afterward emphasize official messaging rather than negotiated outcomes. The Chinese statement reiterated its preference for trade and economic engagement to function as a stabilizing factor in bilateral relations, while also registering formal objections to the scope of U.S. investigatory measures under Section 301.
At this stage, the discussion is framed by public statements from both sides; the ministry's communiqué sets out China's priorities and concerns but does not elaborate on timelines or concrete policy changes. Observers and market participants will need to await further exchanges or formal announcements to assess any tangible shifts in trade policy or enforcement actions.