China upbeat on US trade talks, but South China Sea tensions weigh

FILE PHOTO: U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin during a press briefing at the White House in Washington, U.S., January 28, 2019. REUTERS/Jim Young/File Photo

BEIJING: China struck an upbeat note as trade talks resumed with the United States, but also expressed anger at a US Navy mission through the disputed South China Sea, casting a shadow over the prospect for improved Beijing-Washington ties.

The United States is expected to keep pressing China on long-standing demands that it reform how it treats American companies’ intellectual property in order to seal a trade deal that could prevent tariffs from rising on Chinese imports.