Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said on Thursday it will be a good thing for the world if the US and EU could solve trade disputes through dialogue and negotiations.

Geng made the remark after US President Donald Trump and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker reached a preliminary agreement to ease the threat of a trade war.

Both the US and EU are major economies and trade partners, he said, and if they could solve trade disputes through dialogue and negotiations, conform to the trend of globalization, promote trade and investment liberalization and facilitation, and oppose unilateralism and protectionism, it will not only benefit the US and EU, but also the world.

“Of course, we also hope related efforts and measures taken by the US and EU conform to multilateral trade rules, such as the non-discrimination principle,” he said.