Chinese Minister of Commerce Bo Xilai held in-depth talks with visiting US Secretary of Commerce Don Evans on bilateral trade Wednesday in Beijing.

Bo said the Chinese side attached great importance on the consensus reached at the 15th meeting of the Sino-US Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade held in April this year, and the Chinese side is taking steps to implement the results of the meeting.

During the talks, Bo raised China's concerns to the US side over some trade issues like the textile, furniture, export limit and market economy status, and said that the Chinese side will further consider the concerns of the US side on issues including the protection of intellectual property rights, trade deficit and trade structure.

Evans said after the talks that it was a "good and meaningful" conversation between both sides. Though there are indeed some problems in trade between the United States and China, the US side is willing to strengthen exchanges and cooperation with the Chinese side, so as to push forward the bilateral trade relations, he said.

Evans and his party were invited to China by the Chinese Ministry of Commerce for a visit from June 19 to 24.

(Xinhua News Agency June 24, 2004)