WASHINGTON - U.S. President Donald Trump is prepared to keep or even raise tariffs on Chinese imports amid ongoing trade talks, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Thursday after both sides granted concessions ahead of the next round of negotiations.

Mnuchin, in an interview on CNBC, said U.S. officials are looking to make progress on when talks resume with lower level officials this month ahead of higher-level discussions with top officials in October. Protests in Hong Kong are not part of the negotiations, he added.

(Reporting by Susan Heavey and Howard Schneider Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky) ((202-898-8300; Reuters Messaging: susan.heavey.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))