China's President Xi Jinping (L) and US President Donald Trump attend a welcome ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on November 9, 2017.

When it comes to enforcing any prospective trade deal between the U.S. and China, Washington must treat its Chinese counterparts as "equals," according to a leading Chinese economist.

Representatives from Washington and Beijing have been negotiating a trade deal. U.S. President Donald Trump said this week he will keep additional tariffs imposed on Chinese goods to make sure that "China lives by the deal." Beijing, meanwhile, said this month that enforcement of the deal must be "two-way, fair and equal."

"China is too big an economy, China is too independent," said Li Daokui, an economics professor from Tsinghua University and a former member of the monetary policy committee at the People's Bank of China.

"The issue is, the U.S. side should treat the Chinese side, the Chinese government as equals, with due respect and therefore design or negotiate a mechanism which is respectful, which is not perceived to be a humiliation to the Chinese people or Chinese regime," Li told CNBC's Martin Soong on Saturday at the China Development Forum in Beijing.