US trade negotiators to visit China for talks next week

US officials will visit Beijing next week for the next round of high-level trade talks, China's commerce ministry said Thursday.

US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin will be in China next Thursday and Friday for the eighth round of negotiations, ministry spokesman Gao Feng said.

Gao added that Chinese Vice Premier Liu He will meet with officials in Washington in early April.

The trade dispute began last year after the US brought a number of complaints, including that China engaged in theft of US trade secrets and forced companies to transfer technology in exchange for access to its market.

Trump imposed tariffs on $250 billion in Chinese products, about half of what the United States buys from the country. China retaliated with tariffs on about $110 billion in US items.