US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday expressed optimism that progress could be made during upcoming trade talks with China and said a superpower conflict between the two nations could be avoided.
"There are those who say that conflict, superpower conflict, between our two countries is inevitable. We don't see it that way. We want to find places where we can work together," he told World Economic Forum participants by video, reports state-owned news portal Xinhua.
When asked whether efforts to resolve the trade friction could achieve a breakthrough, Pompeo said he was hopeful that each of those issues could be dealt with constructively.
"I don't want to get ahead of the conversations and negotiations that are taking place. There is lots of hard work to do," he said.
"I am very confident that there will be a bright future for the United States and its people, but for the Chinese people as well," he added.
China and the US conducted a round of lower-level negotiations held over three days in Beijing at the beginning of January. As a result, Chinese Vice Premier Liu He announced last week that he would hold trade talks in Washington on January 30 and 31.