Nepal, Nov. 8 -- China and the United States have agreed to remove additional duties on each other step by step as they make progress in reaching a comprehensive trade deal, the Ministry of Commerce said on Thursday.

Over the past two weeks, the two negotiating teams had serious and constructive discussions and agreed to remove the additional duties imposed on each other's products in different phases after they make progress in reaching a deal, ministry spokesman Gao Feng said at a weekly briefing.

If China and the US reach a phase-one deal, both sides should simultaneously undo existing additional tariffs in the same proportion, which is an important condition for signing a preliminary agreement, Gao said.

"As for how much of the tar...