China ‘Evaluating’ U.S. Offer to Talk Tariffs; Warns Against ‘Extortion’

Date: 02 May 2025 - 22:39

News ID: ۱۳۹۰۸۹

BEIJING (Reuters) - Beijing is “evaluating” an offer from Washington to hold talks over U.S. President Donald Trump’s 145% tariffs, China’s Commerce Ministry said on Friday, although it warned the United States not to engage in “extortion and coercion.”
Washington and Beijing have been locked in a cat-and-mouse game over tariffs, with both sides unwilling to be seen to back down in a trade war that has roiled global markets and upended supply chains.
The Commerce Ministry said the United States has approached China to seek talks over Trump’s tariffs and Beijing’s door was open for discussions, signaling a potential de-escalation in the trade war.
The statement comes a day after a social media account linked to Chinese state media said Washington had been seeking to start talks, and a week after Trump claimed discussions were already underway, which Beijing denied.
“The U.S. has recently taken the initiative on many occasions to convey information to China through relevant parties, saying it hopes to talk with China,” the statement said, adding that Beijing was “evaluating this”.
“Attempting to use talks as a pretext to engage in coercion and extortion would not work,” it said.
The U.S. should be prepared to take action in “correcting erroneous practices” and cancel unilateral tariffs, the Commerce Ministry said, adding that Washington needed to show “sincerity” in negotiations.
The punishing U.S. tariffs on many Chinese products saw Beijing respond in April with levies on imports of U.S. goods of 125%.
The tit-for-tat increases stand to make goods trade between the world’s two largest economies impossible, analysts say, with import duties beyond about 35% potentially wiping out Chinese exporters’ profit margins and making American products in China similarly exorbitant.
Beijing has expressed its anger at the tariffs, which it says are tantamount to bullying and cannot stop the rise of the world’s second-largest economy.
As tensions between both sides fester, the Trump administration on Friday ended U.S. duty-free access for low-value shipments from China and Hong Kong, known as “de minimis” exemptions.
On the U.S. side, officials, including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett, have expressed hope for progress in easing trade tensions.
Trump said on Wednesday he believed there was a “very good chance” his administration could do a deal with China, hours after Chinese President Xi Jinping called on officials to take action to adjust to changes in the international environment, without explicitly mentioning the United States.