White House's Navarro - no progress after trade talks with China

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - White House trade adviser Peter Navarro said on Tuesday that multiple rounds of talks between U.S. and Chinese officials had not yielded progress over a growing trade dispute, spurring tariffs that he said were needed to defend U.S. interests.

"Our phone lines are open, they have always been open," Navarro told reporters on a conference call.

"The fundamental reality is that talk is cheap. ... The president has taken action on behalf of the American people and it's a necessary defence of the crown jewels of American technology and intellectual property against Chinese theft."

(Reporting by Jeff Mason, David Lawder and Lindsay Dunsmuir; Editing by Will Dunham)