Beijing, Nov. 14 -- China and the United States discussed tariffs and agricultural trade during the inaugural meeting of their bilateral trade council on Friday, laying the groundwork ahead of next week's anticipated meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump.

Highlighting the Chinese Ministry of Commerce's statement, China Daily described the virtual talks as "candid, in-depth and constructive."

Held via video link under the China-US economic and trade consultation mechanism, the session focused on implementing outcomes from prior negotiations in line with the consensus previously reached by both heads of state.

The discussions centred on a reciprocal tariff reduction arrangement covering USD 30 billion...