Chinese state media on Saturday expressed cautious optimism over trade talks between the United States and China, a day after Chinese President <person>Xi Jinping</person> said a week of discussions had produced “step-by-step” progress.

<person>Xi</person> made the comments at a meeting on Friday with U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin in Beijing, after a week of senior- and deputy-level talks.

The People’s Daily, the official paper of the ruling Communist Party, said in a commentary that <person>Xi</person>’s meeting with U.S. negotiators had affirmed progress made in previous talks and “injected new impetus into the next stage of the development of Sino-U.S. trade relations.”

The talks “have made important progress” for the next round of negotiations in Washington this week, the paper said in its domestic edition.