Beijing is “appraising” an offer from Washington to hold talks regarding the 145 percent tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce said on May 2. However, the ministry warned the US not to engage in “blackmail and threats.”
Washington and Beijing are locked in a tense trade war, with neither side wanting to appear to back down or appear to be the first to agree to sit down to negotiate over tariffs that have rattled global markets and disrupted supply chains.
Beijing's Commerce Ministry said the US has asked China for talks on Trump's tariffs, adding that China's door is open for discussions, signaling the possibility of easing tensions in the trade war.
The statement comes a day after a social media account linked to Chinese media said Washington had requested talks, and just a week after Trump said talks were already underway, which Beijing denied.
"The United States has recently taken the initiative on many occasions to send information to China, through relevant parties, saying that it hopes to talk with China," the statement said, adding that Beijing is "appraising" this.
"Attempting to use talks as a pretext to engage in blackmail and threats will not work," the Chinese Ministry of Commerce added.
The US should be prepared to take action to "correct wrong practices" and roll back unilateral tariffs, China's Commerce Ministry said, adding that Washington should show "sincerity" in negotiations.
China has repeatedly denied that it is seeking to negotiate a solution to the tariffs imposed by the US and is likely to insist that Washington should make the first move.
Trump's decision to impose high tariffs on imports from China comes at a particularly difficult time for the latter, which is facing deflation as a result of weak economic growth and a prolonged crisis in the real estate sector.
US officials, including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and White House economic adviser Kevin Hasset, have also said they hope there will be progress in reducing trade tensions.
"I'm confident that the Chinese want to make a deal. And, as I said, it's going to be a multi-step process. First, we need to de-escalate the tensions, and then we need to start focusing on a larger trade deal," Bessent said during an interview with Fox Business Network this week.
Meanwhile, Trump said on Wednesday that he believes there is a "good chance" his administration can reach a deal with China, hours after Chinese President Xi Jinping called on officials to take action to adapt to changes in the international environment, without specifically mentioning the United States. /REL (A2 Televizion)
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