Photo: VCG

Chinese and US officials have agreed to roll back punitive tariffs on each other's goods in phases in keeping to progress by their trade negotiators, China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) said on Thursday.

However, a ministry spokesman did not reveal when or where a much-anticipated Phase-1 trade deal would be signed by the top leaders of the two giant economies. 

But the two countries are keeping close contact now, said the spokesman.

 "If a deal is to be reached, both sides should simultaneously and proportionally remove tariffs. That's an important condition," Gao Feng, the spokesperson for the MOFCOM, told a press briefing in Beijing.

The chiefs of the two countries' negotiating teams have been keeping close contact in the past two weeks and have held "serious and constructive" discussions. 

"Both countries agreed to remove tariffs in phases in keeping to the progress to be made in reaching agreements," Gao said.

However, Gao did not say how much punitive tariffs imposed on each other's goods will be rolled back in Phase-1 of the deal. 

China and the US were widely expected to ink an interim tradedeal when the two leaders meet in Chile on the sidelines of the APEC summit. But Chile canceled the summit as violent protests persisted in the capital city.

Asked about the time and location for the interim trade deal, Gao said he did not have any information.

During the press briefing, dominated by questions about signing of the Phase-1 deal, Gao repeatedly stressed the importance of removing tit-for-tat tariffs between the two countries.

"The trade war started with the imposing of punitive tariffs and should end with the removal of the tariffs," he said.