FILE PHOTO: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) logo is seen outside the headquarters building in Washington. September 4, 2018. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas/File Photo

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The International Monetary Fund would welcome any deal to reduce U.S.-China trade tensions and tariffs, but is urging the world’s two largest economies to permanently resolve their 17-month trade war, IMF spokesman Gerry Rice said on Thursday.

“We would welcome any steps to de-escalate the trade tensions and roll back recent trade measures, particularly if they can provide a comprehensive and lasting agreement,” Rice told a regular trade briefing. IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva “has been using the phrase, ‘we need to move from trade truce to trade peace.’”