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• In his first comments on a partial trade deal with the U.S., President Xi Jinping said Beijing wanted to work toward a phase-one agreement on the “basis of mutual respect and equality.” 
• Xi added that though his nation neither initiated nor coveted a trade war, China would fight back when necessary.
• Vice Premier Liu He, the country’s top trade negotiator wrote a lengthy op-ed in the Communist Party’s flagship People’s Daily highlighting the key role for the market and non-state players-- perhaps an attempt to address one of America’s long-standing criticisms of the country’s economic model. 

(Source: Bloomberg)