China-US plan face-to-face meeting over trade in Jan 2019: Chinese official

The Chinese commerce ministry said on Thursday that China and the United States have made plans for a face-to-face meeting over trade in January. Consultations through "intensive" telephone calls will continue in the meantime, Gao Feng, spokesman at the commerce ministry, told reporters. Consultations have been steadily moving forward despite the Christmas break in the United States, Gao said.

A U.S. trade team will travel to Beijing the week of Jan. 7 to hold talks with Chinese officials, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday, citing two people familiar with the matter. A person familiar with the matter told Reuters last week that talks were likely in early January. U.S. and Chinese officials have spoken by phone in recent weeks, but a meeting next month would be the first in-person talks since U.S. President Donald Trump met with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, in Buenos Aires on Dec. 1.