Top Chinese and United States negotiators from July 30-31 in Shanghai will hold the 12th round of economic and trade talks, the Ministry of Commerce said on Thursday.

The meetings scheduled for next week will be the first face-to-face discussions between the two sides since their leaders met at the G20 summit in Japan last month.

Gao Feng, the ministry’s spokesman, said that holding negotiations in different places is normal.

"Shanghai has good conditions for conducting consultations," Gao said, without elaborating.

US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer will meet with Chinese Vice-Premier Liu He to continue negotiations aimed at improving the bilateral trade relationship, the White House said in a statement on Wednesday.