China and the United States have resumed normal communication and could solve concrete issues pragmatically, the Chinese commerce ministry said on Thursday, following a virtual meeting between senior officials on the previous day.

Chinese commerce ministry spokesperson Gao Feng said Wednesday’s video call between Vice Premier Liu He and U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen lasted around 50 minutes, with the two sides exchanging views on the China-U.S. trade relationship, the macro-economic situation and both countries’ respective domestic policies.

Both sides believed that the exchange was “professional, frank and constructive,” allowing normal communication between the two countries to resume in the field of economics and trade, Gao said.

The two sides had reached a consensus on finding common ground while leaving differences aside, Gao said, and that both sides believed the China-U.S. trade relationship was very important with a lot of room for concrete cooperation.

Gao said issues of concern were raised by each side, but he declined to say what specific concerns were raised by Liu.

Both sides agreed to approach solutions to problems pragmatically, Gao said, and the next step was for the U.S. and China to work together for the benefit of both countries and the whole world, as well as for manufacturers and consumers.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury had said earlier that Yellen tackled “issues of concern” on the call, while discussing “the Biden-Harris administration’s plans to support a continued strong economic recovery and the importance of cooperating on areas that are in U.S. interests.”China-U.S. relations had been tense since an abortive summit in Alaska in March, when officials from the two countries shared angry words while appearing in front of the media at the start of the first meeting session.

Wednesday’s meeting between Yellen and Liu followed another virtual meeting last week between Liu and U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai. The video call was described as a “candid exchange” in which Tai discussed “her ongoing review of the U.S.-China trade relationship, while also raising issues of concern.”

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