China says no ongoing trade talks with the U.S., calls for canceling ‘unilateral’ tariffs

Beijing – China said Thursday that there are no ongoing discussions with the United States over tariffs, despite the white house instructions this week that would be a facility in tensions with Beijing.

“At present, there is absolutely no negotiation on the economy and commerce between China and the United States,” said the Ministry of Commerce, He Yadong to Mandarin journalists, translated by CNBC. He added that “all sayings” regarding progress in bilateral conversations must be discarded.

“If the United States really decreases to solve the problem … you should cancel all unilateral measures in China,” he said.

The president of the United States, Donald Trump, and the secretary of the Treasury, Scott Besent, indicated that it could be a flexibility of tensions with China. The White House previously, this 145% tariffs on Chinese products, to which Beijing responded with the tariffs of their and higher restrictions on critical mineral exports to the United States.

The comments of the Ministry of Commerce echoed those of the spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, Guo Jiakun, who said on the afternoon that they were not in conversations, according to the state media.

Both Heroes of the spokesman to the official line that China would be willing to speak with the subject of the United States to be treated as an equal.

“China definitely wants to see the decalmous of the commercial war, since it harms both economies,” said the main economist of Yue his, China, of the Economist Intelligence Institute. “However, due to the inconsistency of Trump’s policies and the lack of clarity about what he really wants, China’s strategy has changed to focus on ‘what he needs’ for’ what I need.” Your US application to cancel the ‘unilateral’ rates reflects that change. “

Earlier this week, China threatened against countries that could make agreements with the United States at the expense of Beijing’s interests.

“We must also recognize that this is a moment of ‘what is necessary’ for China in terms of relations between the United States and China,” said his. “I would be surprised if China adopts a more aggressive position if the United States continues to increase tensions.”

Several Wall Street banks have reduced their Chinese GDP perspective in recent weeks in the light of rates and increasing tensions with the United States.

The Ministry of Commerce in Thorsday emphasized government and commercial efforts to help companies sell goods destined for exports to the Chinese market.

“From China’s perspective, any significant negotiation will probably require the United States to reduce tariffs at the previous 20% or even a lower level,” said Jianwei Xu, a senior economist of the Great China, in Natixis.

“But for the Trump administration, however, to reduce tariffs too far could ask uncomfortable questions: what was the point of confrontation if we ended up returning where we started?”

The United States is the largest commercial partner in China at a single country. But in recent years, Southeast Asia has surpassed the European Union to become the largest commercial partner in China in a regional manner.