"Chinese State Council Vice Premier Liu He held a phone conversation with US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, the parties have discussed in detail the key issues [relating] to the text [of the trade agreement] and defined the agenda for the further work," the statement said.
According to the statement, the phone conversation was initiated by Washington.
READ MORE: Latest Round of Trade Talks Gives Hope for Stability in China-US Ties — Beijing
China and the United States have been embroiled in a trade dispute since June, when US President Donald Trump announced that Washington would subject $50 billion worth of Chinese goods to 25 percent tariffs in a bid to fix the US-Chinese trade deficit.
Trump announced last month that he would delay another planned increase in tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods that was originally set for 1 March, citing progress in the trade talks.
READ MORE: Trump Kept Macron in the Dark About Talks With China Amid Tariff Row — Reports
At the G20 summit in Argentina in December, Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed upon a 90-day truce to allow room for a new trade agreement.