Chinese commerce minister, U.S. commerce secretary talk by telephone

China's Commerce Minister Wang Wentao spoke on the telephone with U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo on Tuesday, according to China's Ministry of Commerce.

The two senior commerce officials conducted candid, in-depth and pragmatic communication on economic and trade issues of respective concern, with a focus on the implementation of the important consensus reached between the two heads of state of China and the United States at the San Francisco meeting.

The phone conversation is an arrangement under the communication mechanism between the two commerce departments.

The San Francisco meeting has set the direction for the development of China-U.S. economic and trade relations, said Wang.

The commerce departments of the two countries have maintained close contact at different levels, said Wang, adding that positive progress has been made in expanding cooperation, managing differences, and addressing specific business concerns.

China-U.S. economic and trade relations should become the "ballast" in bilateral relations, he said.

Wang said that China is willing to work with the United States on the basis of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, and win-win cooperation to jointly implement the consensus reached at the San Francisco meeting, and put China-U.S. relations back on the right track.

Wang expressed serious concerns about the U.S. policy towards China on semiconductors and restrictions on Chinese connected vehicles.

It's necessary to clarify national security boundaries in the economic and trade field, as it is conducive to maintaining the security and stability of global industrial and supply chains, and creating a favorable policy environment for cooperation between the business communities from the two countries, Wang stressed.

China urged the U.S. side to pay attention to the specific concerns of Chinese enterprises, promptly lift sanctions on Chinese companies, and improve the business environment for Chinese companies in the United States, Wang said.

Chinese commerce minister, U.S. commerce secretary talk by telephone

The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), China's top economic planner, on Tuesday pledged to closely monitor the energy supply, so as to ensure steady supply of power and heating, as the country braces for the peak winter period of high electricity, heating and gas consumption.

Li Chunlin, deputy director of the NDRC, told the media that power plants with a coal reserve of over 200 million tonnes can meet the nation's energy needs for an average of 30 days, which is at a historically high level for this time of year, adding that the northeastern region has ample winter coal stockpiles.

As of the end of August, the national installed generating capacity had reached 3.13 billion kilowatts, with renewable energy sources, such as hydropower, wind, and solar, accounting for more than half of the total capacity, Li said.

Despite increasing uncertainties in power supply, the NDRC will take measures in intelligent scheduling and enhanced inter-provincial cooperation to guarantee a stable and reliable electricity supply.

In the natural gas sector, resource availability is also robust, with peak-shaving storage capacity up by 8 billion cubic meters from the previous year, said Li, emphasizing the need for optimal storage before winter arrives.

Looking ahead, the NDRC will continue to enhance monitoring and analysis to maintain the stability of energy supply, according to Li.

China ensures stable energy supply ahead of winter peak