According to the Global Times, China and the U.S. on Tuesday injected fresh optimism into prospects for a phase one trade agreement, as top trade negotiators of both sides agreed to address remaining issues for the interim deal during a phone conversation.

"Chinese Vice Premier Liu He held a phone conversation with US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin on Tuesday morning to exchange views on how to address each other's core concerns, China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) said in a statement.

"[The two sides] achieved consensus on properly addressing relevant issues and agreed to maintain contact over the remaining issues for the phase one trade agreement," according to the statement.

This was the first phone call between the two sides in 10 days and the third since the latest round of face-to-face trade negotiations in Washington in mid-October...

"The phone call shows that the two sides are still seriously pushing forward a possible phase one trade agreement, despite noise," Li Yong, deputy chair of the expert committee of the China Association of International Trade, told the Global Times on Tuesday, adding that it would be "unwise" for the two sides to reverse course for a trade deal because of recent complications...

Still despite the positive signs, some Chinese experts stressed that China will stick to its core demands, including proportional removal of existing tariffs and a balanced text of the phase one trade agreement."