BEIJING, March 29 (Xinhua) -- China on Thursday urged the United States to abandon unilateralism and protectionism, and resort to dialogue and consultation to handle disagreements.

Gao Feng, spokesman with China's Ministry of Commerce (MOC), made the remarks in the wake of the U.S. decision to extend the period for public to comment on its tariffs on Chinese goods from 30 days to 60 days.

"China is always open for negotiations," Gao said, but emphasized sticking to the principles of equality, constructiveness and balance that need joint efforts.

Last Thursday, U.S. President Donald Trump signed a memorandum that could impose tariffs on up to 50 billion U.S. dollars of imports from China and restrictions on Chinese investment in the United States.

The memorandum is based on a Section 301 investigation, launched by the Trump administration in August 2017, into alleged Chinese intellectual property and technology transfer practices.