1. Commerce Ministry spokesman He Yadong stated: “There are currently no economic and trade negotiations between China and the United States.”
2. This week, U.S. President Donald Trump and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent hinted that tensions with China might ease.
3. “If the United States really wants to resolve the issue... then they should cancel all unilateral measures against China,” he said.
On Thursday, China stated that there are no discussions taking place with the United States regarding tariffs, although the White House this week indicated that tensions with Beijing may ease.
“There are currently no economic and trade negotiations between China and the United States,” said Commerce Ministry spokesman He Yadong to reporters in Mandarin, translated by CNBC. He added that “any talk” related to progress in bilateral negotiations should be dismissed.
“If the United States really wants to resolve the issue... then they should cancel all unilateral measures against China,” he said.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent this week indicated that there might be a reduction in tensions with China. The White House earlier this month imposed an additional 145% tariff on Chinese goods, and Beijing retaliated with its own tariffs and increased restrictions on the export of critical minerals to the U.S.
The comments from the Commerce Department were similar to those made by Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun, who stated on Thursday afternoon that no negotiations are currently taking place, according to state media.
Both spokespeople maintained the official position that China would be willing to negotiate with the United States on the condition that Beijing is treated equally.
“China certainly wants to see the trade war de-escalate, as it is detrimental to both economies,” said Yue Su, chief economist, China, at the Economist Intelligence Unit. “However, due to the inconsistency in Trump’s policies and a lack of clarity about what he really wants, China’s strategy has shifted from focusing on ‘what you need’ to ‘what I need’. Their demands for the U.S. to cancel ‘unilateral’ tariffs reflect that change.”
Earlier this week, China threatened to retaliate against countries that might sign agreements with the United States that harm Beijing's interests.
“We also need to recognize that this is a time of ‘whatever it takes’ for China in U.S.-China relations,” Su said. “I would not be surprised if China adopts a tougher stance if the U.S. continues to escalate tensions.”
Some Wall Street banks have cut their GDP outlook for China in recent weeks due to the impact of tariffs and escalating tensions with the United States.
The Commerce Department emphasized on Thursday the efforts of the government and businesses to help companies sell exports to the Chinese market.
Jianwei Xu, senior economist in charge of mainland China at Natixis, said: “From China’s perspective, any meaningful negotiations could require the U.S. to reduce tariffs to the previous level of 20% or even lower.”
“However, for the Trump administration, reducing tariffs too much could raise uncomfortable questions: What is the purpose of the confrontation if we go back to square one?”
The United States is China’s largest trading partner on a national basis. However, in recent years, Southeast Asia has surpassed the European Union to become China’s largest trading partner on a regional basis.
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