BEIJING, Dec. 16 -- The China-U.S. economic working group has held its seventh meeting in Johannesburg, South Africa, China's Ministry of Finance (MOF) said in a statement on Monday.

The meeting was co-chaired by China's Vice Minister of Finance Liao Min and Under Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Treasury Jay Shambaugh.

According to the MOF statement, the two sides had candid, in-depth and constructive communication on issues including the macroeconomic situations and policies in the two countries, joint efforts to assist low-income countries in addressing liquidity challenges, and governance and reform of multilateral development banks.

The Chinese side clarified its stance on relevant economic and trade matters and expressed concern over recent U.S. trade and economic restrictions against China, the statement read.