China鈥檚 Commerce Ministry said Friday that Beijing is evaluating multiple approaches by the Trump administration for trade talks, but steep tariffs imposed by Washington must go.
A ministry statement reiterated China's stance that is open to talks, but also that Beijing is determined to fight if it must. It said one-sided tariffs of remain an obstacle, undermining trust.
鈥淭he tariff and trade wars were unilaterally initiated by the U.S., if the U.S. side wants to talk, it should show its sincerity, and be ready to take action on issues such as correcting wrong practices and canceling the unilateral imposition of tariffs,鈥� it said.
An unnamed ministry spokesperson was cited as saying that Beijing had taken note of various statements by senior U.S. officials indicating a willingness to negotiate over tariffs.
鈥淎t the same time, the U.S. has recently taken the initiative to convey information to the Chinese side on a number of occasions through relevant parties, hoping to talk with the Chinese side. In this regard, the Chinese side is making an assessment,鈥� it said.
But it emphasized that China would regard overtures without a change in President Donald Trump's sharp tariff hikes as insincere.
鈥淪aying one thing but doing another, or even attempting to engage in coercion and blackmail under the guise of talks, will not work on the Chinese side,鈥� it said.
China is in the midst of a public holiday, with government offices and markets closed. But share prices in Hong Kong jumped 1.7% early Friday, while Taiwan's benchmark index was up 2.2%. U.S. futures also advanced.
As of Friday, the Trump administration is ending a on low-value imports from China. That will mean higher prices and delivery delays when the government starts collecting tariffs on every single shipment.
Beijing has responded to Trump's tariff hikes by raising its own duties on imports of U.S. products to as high as 125%. It has also tightened restrictions on exports to the U.S. of certain strategically important minerals and stopped importing a wide range of U.S. farm products.
At the same time, China has sought to join with other countries to build a united front against Trump, while ramping up its own countermeasures to the impact of Trump鈥檚 tariffs.
Trump has slapped a global 10% import tax, or tariff, to try to compel manufacturers to shift factories back to the U.S. He ordered double-digit 鈥渞eciprocal鈥� tariffs for many countries but then postponed their implementation for 90 days to allow time for negotiations. He has also hit foreign steel, aluminum and autos.
The toughest measures were reserved for China, the world's biggest exporter and second largest economy.
His announcements of higher tariffs, suspensions, and then more tariffs have left companies, investors and consumers stymied over what comes next, hitting .
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who is leading the administration's approach to China, has said he expects Beijing to call because the tariffs are not sustainable.
In an interview Thursday with Fox Business, Bessent said the main issue with Beijing was not high tariffs but other barriers.
鈥淭here's a whole range of bad behavior by the Chinese,鈥� Bessent said, mentioning theft of intellectual property like trademarks and cyberhacking."
鈥淪o, everything is on the table for the economic relationship,鈥� he said, adding 鈥滻 am confident that the Chinese will want to reach a deal."
Beijing has shown scant willingness to compromise, however, with its foreign ministry posting a on social media this week saying the U.S. has 鈥渟tirred up a global tariff storm.鈥�
It vowed China would not 鈥渒neel down鈥� in the trade war.
鈥淜neeling only invites more bullying,鈥� it said.
Elaine Kurtenbach, The Associated Press
