BEIJING (AP) — China's foreign ministry says Beijing is open to negotiating with Washington amid a spiraling tariff dispute following a report the two sides were negotiating and American officials have submitted a list of market-opening requests.

A ministry spokeswoman, Hua Chunying, didn't confirm the report by The Wall Street Journal but said Monday at a regular briefing, "Our door for dialogue and discussion is always open."

The Journal said the negotiations were led by U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and China's economic czar, Vice Premier Liu He. It said American market-opening requests covered the auto, finance and semiconductor industries.

Trump has approved higher tariffs on steel and aluminum imports and a possible increase on $60 billion worth of Chinese goods in a dispute over technology policy. China has said it might retaliate.