China's Ministry of Commerce said on May 16 that China and the United States have achieved positive outcomes in economic and trade consultations.

When responding to media inquiries, a spokesperson of the ministry outlined five areas of initial outcomes achieved by the two countries' economic and trade teams during their recent consultations.

First, the two sides agreed to continue implementing outcomes reached in previous talks and formed positive consensus on relevant tariff arrangements.

China and the United States will also establish trade and investment councils to address their respective concerns in trade and investment cooperation. Through the trade council, the two sides will discuss issues such as tariff reductions on specific products, and they have agreed in principle to lower tariffs on products of respective concern on an equivalent scale.

In addition, the two countries will resolve or make substantive progress toward resolving non-tariff barriers and market access issues involving some agricultural products.

The United States will actively work to address long-standing Chinese concerns including automatic detention measures targeting Chinese dairy and aquatic products, exports of media-grown bonsai to the United States, and recognition of avian influenza-free zones in east China's Shandong Province. China, for its part, will actively advance solutions to U.S. concerns regarding beef facility registration and poultry exports from certain U.S. states to China.

Moreover, the two sides agreed to promote two-way trade, including in agricultural products, through arrangements such as mutual tariff reductions on a range of products.

In the aviation sector, the two countries reached arrangements concerning China's purchase of aircraft from the United States, as well as U.S. guarantees for the supply of aircraft engines and related parts to China. The two sides agreed to continue advancing cooperation in relevant areas.

The spokesperson said the two sides are still in consultation over details related to the outcomes reached so far.

Economic and trade teams from both countries will work to finalize the outcomes at an early date and jointly ensure implementation in line with the consensus reached by the two heads of state, in a bid to inject greater certainty and stability into China-U.S. economic and trade cooperation and the global economy, the spokesperson said.