BEIJING (Dispatches) – China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Beijing stands on the side of international rules on U.S.-imposed tariffs and opposes protectionism, the Foreign Ministry on Saturday.
Speaking on the sidelines of a China-Central Asia foreign ministers meeting in Kazakhstan, Wang said Beijing would seek solidarity with other countries on the tariff situation and exposes “extreme egoism” and the bullying of certain countries, the ministry said in a statement.
U.S. President Donald Trump asserted in an interview published on Friday that tariff negotiations were underway with China, but Beijing denied any talks were taking place, the latest in a series of conflicting signals over what progress was being made to de-escalate a trade war threatening to sap global growth.
Wang, meeting with Uzbekistan Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov, said China would seek solidarity with other countries and would uphold multilateralism to “inject stability into the world.”
A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Friday that there had been no talks between Beijing and Washington on tariffs.
“As far as I know, there have been no consultations or negotiations between China and the U.S. on the issue of tariffs, let alone any agreement being reached,” a spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in the U.S. said on Friday in response to media queries in the regard.
The spokesperson insisted that Trump had unilaterally launched the trade war and any calls and claims of talks going on in this regard were misleading.
The tariff war was unilaterally provoked by the U.S., and “whoever caused the knot should be the one to untie it,” the spokesperson clarified.
The embassy spokesperson pointed out that if Trump genuinely wanted to resolve the tariff war through dialogue and negotiation, he would correct his past mistakes and abandon coercive tactics, including removing all the unilateral tariffs slapped against China.
The spokesperson added that meaningful dialogue between two countries can only take place on the basis of equality, mutual respect and mutual benefit. 
The embassy spokesperson reiterated mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, and win-win cooperation as the proper safe way for two global powers to get along in the new era.
The Trump administration must not expect to work with China if it continues to exert maximum pressure on the country.
China’s ambassador to the United States, Xie Feng, had earlier warned the Trump administration against an escalation of the trade war.
In this regard, China’s President Xi Jinping also issued a warning to his American counterpart, reminding him that “there are no winners in a tariff war.”
Xi urged the European Union to cooperate with China in resisting what he termed “unilateral bullying,” emphasizing the importance of maintaining economic globalization and international trade norms.
On April 11, 2025, China responded to Trump’s China tariffs by increasing tariffs on U.S. imports from 84 percent to 125 percent.