BEIJING (Reuters) - The United States should immediately remove sanctions on Chinese telecoms equipment maker Huawei, a commerce ministry spokesman said on Thursday, days before the two countries’ leaders are due to meet for talks on trade.
China opposes U.S. abuse of export controls and urges the United States to return to a track of cooperation, said the spokesman, Gao Feng.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday a trade deal with Chinese President Xi Jinping was possible this weekend when they meet at a summit of leaders of the Group of 20 (G20) in Japan, but he was prepared to impose tariffs on virtually all Chinese imports if disagreement persisted.
Trump has suggested that Huawei could be part of a deal.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Xi planned to present Trump with terms for ending the trade dispute, including removing a ban on the sale of U.S. technology to Huawei, citing Chinese officials with knowledge of the plan.
The report also said China wants the United States to lift all punitive tariffs and abandon efforts to get China to promise to buy even more U.S. goods than it previously agreed to do - a reiteration of long-standing demands.
The United States has put Huawei, the world’s largest maker of telecoms equipment and its second biggest maker of smartphones, on an export blacklist, citing national security issues. The listing bars U.S. suppliers from selling to it without special approval.
Huawei has denied its products pose a security threat.
“We urge the United States to cancel immediately sanctions on Chinese companies including Huawei to push for the healthy and stable development
