US Hopes For Improving Relations With China, While Position Still 'Strong' - Pence

The United States still hopes for an improvement of the US-Chinese ties, while its position remains strong, US Vice President Mike Pence said on Saturday.

PORT MORESBY (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 17th November, 2018) The United States still hopes for an improvement of the US-Chinese ties, while its position remains strong, US Vice President Mike Pence said on Saturday.

"The United States of America seeks a better relationship with China, based of fairness, reciprocity, and respect for sovereignty ... And as the [US] president [Donald Trump] prepares to meet with [Chinese] President Xi [Jinping] at the G20 summit in Argentine, we believe that progress could be made ... between our two nations even as United States remains at its strong position," Pence said at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, which is currently underway in Port Moresby, the capital of Papua New Guinea.

He went on to slam China for "taking advantage" of the United States.

"As the president said just a few hours ago in the Oval Office, we have great respect for President Xi and great respect for China, but, in the president's words, China has taken advantage from the United States for many, many years, and those days are over. As the president said, China has tremendous [trade] barriers, they have tremendous tariffs, and as we all know, their country engages in .

.. intellectual property theft, industrial subsidies in an unprecedented scale," Pence said.

He specified that China's actions had contributed to a trade deficit, which Washington is aspiring to fix.

"Such actions have actually contributed to a $375 billion goods trade deficit with the United States last year alone. But as the president said today, it will all change now ... We've put tariffs on $250 billion in Chinese goods and we could more than double that number, but we hope for better. The United States will not change course, until China changes its course," Pence concluded.

China and the United States became embroiled in a major trade spat after Trump unveiled new steel and aluminum import duties in March. The tensions further escalated in late May when Washington announced that $50 billion worth of Chinese goods would be subject to 25 percent tariffs, prompting a harsh retaliation from Beijing.

Since then, the Trump administration has imposed tariffs on $250 billion worth of Chinese goods, prompting China to respond by imposing reciprocal tariffs.