China has asked the United States to cancel steep tariffs on Chinese goods in a sign that President Donald Trump is serious about resolving the trade war between the two countries.
Despite the Trump administration’s proposals, no trade talks have been held with the United States, a Chinese official said.
The trade war between the world’s two largest economies is escalating, with China returning Boeing planes it ordered from the United States in its latest retaliation over tariffs.
But Trump appears to be softening his stance on China, saying the tariffs he has imposed on Chinese imports so far will “drop significantly, but it won’t be zero.”
A trade war between China and the United States is rapidly unfolding, with Trump imposing import tariffs of up to 145% on Chinese goods entering the United States, while China has imposed a 125% tariff on American products.
In one of China’s strongest statements on the tariff war, Commerce Ministry spokesman He Yadong said that if the United States “really wants” to resolve the issue, it should lift all “unilateral tariff measures” against China.
“The person who tied the bell should untie it,” he added.
Separately, Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said that China and the United States had “not held consultations or discussions on tariffs, let alone reached an agreement.”
He added that reports to the contrary were “untrue.”
Trump has previously said talks between the countries are “active” – but this was contradicted by US Treasury Secretary Scott Besant, who said on Wednesday that they had not yet begun.
Besant said there was an opportunity for a “great deal” on trade between the US and China.
He has previously said he expects an escalation in the “unsustainable” trade war, and called the current situation “no joke”.
Trump said on Tuesday that he was “very good” at negotiating with Beijing in the hope of reaching a trade deal.
But following China’s latest comments, he said on his official social media platform: “Boeing should be holding China accountable for not taking the beautifully finished planes that China has committed to buying.”
“This is just a small example of what China has done to the United States for many years,” he added, before repeating the accusation that the synthetic opioid fentanyl “continues to flow into our country from China, through Mexico and Canada, killing hundreds of thousands of our people.”
The head of aircraft manufacturer Boeing revealed that China has returned planes it ordered from the United States as part of retaliation for the tariffs.
Kelly Ortberg said this week that two planes have already been returned and another is on the way due to trade tensions between the two countries.
China held a roundtable discussion on Wednesday with more than 80 foreign companies to address concerns about the impact of the US tariffs on their investments and operations in China, the Ministry of Commerce said.
“Foreign companies are expected to turn crises into opportunities,” said Vice Commerce Minister Ling Ji.
