UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the recent trade talks between the United States and China, describing the dialogue as a "positive" sign for the global economy.

"We've always said that we don't need any escalation in the trade war. We need dialogue," Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for the UN chief, said at a briefing on Monday.

"So it's obviously a good, a good start," he added, referring to the renewed contact between the two major economies.

Dujarric also reiterated Guterres's stance that trade conflicts benefit no one. "I think the Secretary-General has been very clear that no one wins in a trade war," he said.

The China-U.S. high-level meeting on economic and trade affairs was held in Geneva, Switzerland, over the weekend, during which both sides reached a consensus on several key issues.