China always holds that equal dialogue and consultation is the way to address economic and trade disputes, said Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun at a regular press briefing in Beijing on Wednesday.
Guo made the statement in response to the United States and Japan reaching a trade deal on Tuesday.
"China always advocates that all sides should tackle economic and trade disputes through equal dialogue and consultation, and maintain a sound environment for international economic and trade cooperation," said Guo.
U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that the United States has reached a trade deal with Japan, which will impose a 15 percent tariff on Japanese goods.
Japan will invest 550 billion U.S. dollars into the United States, which will receive 90 percent of the profits, said Trump, adding that the deal will create hundreds of thousands of jobs.
"Japan will open their Country to Trade including Cars and Trucks, Rice and certain other Agricultural Products, and other things. Japan will pay Reciprocal Tariffs to the United States of 15 percent," said Trump in a post on social media.
In a recent letter to Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, Trump threatened to raise the so-called reciprocal tariff on Japan to 25 percent starting Aug. 1, higher than the 24 percent tariff announced on April 2.
As one of the major U.S. trading partners, Japan has been tough in bilateral trade talks.
The United States saw 68.5 billion dollars of trade deficit in goods with Japan in 2024, with imports from Japan totaling 148.2 billion dollars and exports to Japan at 79.7 billion dollars, according to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.
Trump signed an executive order earlier this month to extend the 90-day suspension of sweeping U.S. reciprocal tariffs from July 9 to Aug. 1, with trade negotiations ongoing with the European Union and other major trading partners.
China advocates equal dialogue, consultation in addressing economic, trade disputes: FM spokesman
China advocates equal dialogue, consultation in addressing economic, trade disputes: FM spokesman
China advocates equal dialogue, consultation in addressing economic, trade disputes: FM spokesman
The three astronauts of China's recently-returned Shenzhou-20 mission on Friday shared the experiences of their dramatic 204-day space mission, including detailing the emergency procedures which were implemented to bring them safely home after their return capsule was struck by space debris.
The trio -- Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui, and Wang Jie -- met with the press in Beijing on Friday afternoon, marking their first public appearance since returning to Earth in November.
When detailing the emergency response mechanisms which were enacted prior to their scheduled return, the astronauts explained that upon discovering a triangular crack on the spacecraft's viewport window, they immediately took photos for documentation and transmitted them to the ground team, who swiftly activated an emergency plan to get the trio home safely.
Experienced mission commander Chen Dong explained how the crew had complete faith in their colleagues on the ground to find a solution to these unforeseen circumstances which led to their return being delayed.
"First, we must trust the ground team, who would anticipate everything and develop the safest return plan for us. Second, we must believe in ourselves; as well-trained astronauts, we have the ability to manage various unexpected failures. I believe that with the collaboration of astronauts and researchers on the ground, our space home will surely go farther, more steadily, and for a longer time," he said.
Following their extended stay in space as a result of the debris incident, the Shenzhou-20 crew spent a total 204 days in orbit, setting a new record for the longest duration by a single group of Chinese astronauts.
During their mission, they completed multiple payload operations, conducted extensive scientific experiments, and carried out four extravehicular activities.
"Our crew worked together with the ground team in unity and coordination, completing four extravehicular activities, several payload entry and exit tasks, and a large number of scientific experiments. It was a fulfilling yet challenging mission. The path to exploring the heavens is long and arduous, but I firmly believe that China's space missions will succeed," said Chen Zhongrui, a former air force pilot who was making his first spaceflight during the mission.
"From the ground to space, from learning to application, I have deeply felt the solid progress of Chinese space endeavors and the quiet dedication of countless personnel behind the scenes. In the future, I will accomplish each mission with full commitment, living up to the trust of the motherland and the people," said fellow astronaut Wang Jie, who was also making his debut spaceflight.
After returning to Earth on Nov 14, the trio successfully completed their isolation recovery and rehabilitation and will now resume normal training following health assessments.
The crew's return, originally scheduled for Nov 5, was postponed due to safety concerns, with the astronauts later using the return capsule belonging to their successor crew of the Shenzhou-21 mission to get back to Earth. China later launched the unmanned Shenzhou-22 spacecraft which will serve the future return of the crew now aboard the Tiangong Space Station.
Shenzhou-20 astronauts share experiences after safely returning from debris incident
