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China has said in the United States “to completely cancel all unilateral tariff measures” if Washington wants commercial talks, in some of the strongest comments in Beijing on the deepening of the trade war between the two economic superpowers in the world.
Beijing also said that there was “no economic and commercial negotiations between China and the United States”, despite the repeated comments by President Donald Trump that both parties were talking.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in recent days That the trade war is “not sustainable” and that there should be a de -escalation on both sides “.
There is a spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, said on Thursday: “Unilateral tariff measures were launched by the United States.”
“If the United States really wants to solve the problem, it should … completely cancel all unilateral tariff measures against China and find a means of resolving differences by an equal dialogue.”
Trump wanted to negotiate an agreement with President Xi Jinping, but China insisted that it would not capue what it considers economic intimidation.
Beijing also pointed out to the White House that the United States had to take the first step to defuse the crisis, which threatens to trigger a hard decoupling between the economies of the two countries.
China Always said that its “door is open” to talks, but an insistence for the United States unilaterally suppress its prices as a prerequisite for negotiations would represent a hardening of its position.
Asked on Wednesday, how long he could reduce prices on China, Trump said: “It depends on them.” The White House also pointed out that the president would not unilaterally bring his samples back from Chinese products.
Washington and Beijing have embarked on a breast climb for Tatte since Trump began to increase prices on imports from China in February. The American samples on Chinese goods reached 145% while Beijing imposed 125% of relaxation.
Bessent said on Tuesday that the high level of prices on both sides was a commercial “embargo”.
Trump has softened some of his global prices, granting exemptions for smartphones, semiconductors and electronics.
On Tuesday, the president said that the prices would descend “substantially” and that an agreement would be concluded “fairly quickly”. But Beijing said Thursday that all reports that China and the United States were approaching an agreement were “false news”.
“There was no consultation or negotiation between China and the United States concerning prices, not to mention an agreement,” said the spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Guo Jiakun.
Addressing journalists on Thursday, Trump said that the United States and Chinese officials met on Thursday, but refused to provide details. The Department of the White House and Treasury did not immediately respond to a request for more information on the meeting.
Chinese finance minister Lan Fo’an and the Governor of the Central Bank Pan Gongsheng are in Washington on Thursday for Spring meetings of the IMF.
Asked about China describing his remarks about commercial negotiations like “false news”, Trump said: “They had a meeting this morning … It doesn’t matter who they are, we could reveal it later, but they had meetings this morning, and we met China.”
There is there said, “The one who attached the bell [on the tiger] should be the only one to detach it ”, a reference to a Chinese proverb which means that the person who creates a problem should be the one who solves it.
He said that Beijing had maintained “an open attitude towards consultations and dialogue”, but “pressure, threat and extorting it are not the right ways to engage with China”.
“The trade war is the one that the United States has unilaterally prompted … If they want to negotiate, it must show sincerity and return to the good route of dialogue and equal consultations,” said Yadong.
Bessent said on Tuesday that any de -escalation of the trade war should be mutual, denying the information that Trump could unilaterally reduce samples from Chinese products.
Chinese analysts argue that the American taxation of high prices makes Beijing difficult to find a way to defuse the crisis.
They say that Xi would find it difficult to engage personally with Trump on the trade war unless this is preceded by in -depth negotiations to conclude an agreement.