By Vivian Salama Washington, Jun 21 (EFE).- Vice President Mike Pence will postpone his planned speech on China policy next week to avoid stoking additional tensions ahead of President Trump's planned meeting with China's President Xi Jinping later next week, a senior administration official said, according to a report from Dow Jones Newswires supplied to Efe on Friday. Trump and Xi had a "productive conversation" this week ahead of their meeting at next week's Group of 20 summit in Japan, the official said, adding that the decision to postpone Pence's speech was taken amid "positive signs" that trade talks with China could be back on track. In a Twitter message on Tuesday, Trump said he had a "very good" telephone conversation with Xi, setting the stage for a summit in Osaka, Japan, between the leaders of the two largest economies in the world. Negotiators from both countries are expected to begin discussions before the two leaders meet. Relations between Washington and Beijing have deteriorated significantly since late April, when many thought Osaka would be the venue for Trump and Xi to sign a trade accord. Administration officials have tempered expectations that a deal will be reached at the meeting, but some expect a plan for new high-level talks, along with a delay in imposing US tariffs on another $300 billion in goods from China. Last year, Pence laid out a number of grievances the Trump administration has with China related to human rights, religious freedom and intellectual property theft in a major policy address. The speech received widespread condemnation from Beijing. This year's address was expected to build on those grievances, while also expanding on Washington's demands for reforms, added the Dow Jones report. "Those remarks still stand," the official said, "but we want to be working toward progress, which the White House feels is possible at the G-20." dj/sh -- EPA-EFE Multimedia Desk, Madrid +34 913 467 493