China confirmed on Wednesday (07.05.2025) that will begin negotiations with the United States on its tariff warfare following “the calls of American industry and consumers”, but warned that it will not “sacrifice its position of principles.”
Previously, the US government had announced a meeting in the next few days in Switzerland between high positions of both countries, to try to resolve the commercial dispute between the two largest economies in the world.
“If the United States wants to solve the problem through negotiations, it must recognize the serious negative impact of unilateral tariff measures in itself and in the world,” said a spokesman for the Chinese ministry in a statement.
Since Trump returned to the White House in January, his administration has imposed new tariffs for a total of 145% on products from China, with some sectoral measures added.
Beijing took reprisals imposing 125 % tariffs on US imports to China, along with more specific measures.
Reduce tensions before negotiating
This week’s conversations involve the first official public commitment between the two largest economies in the world to resolve the commercial war.
The Secretary of the Treasury, Scott Besent, and the US trade representative (USTR), Jamieson Greer, will attend the conversations on behalf of the United States, according to their offices.
Besent told Fox News that the parties would hold meetings on Saturday and Sunday aimed at laying the foundations for future negotiations.
-“We will remember what we are going to talk about. My feeling is that it will try to descale, not the great commercial agreement,” Besent told the “The Ingraham Angle” program. “We have to reduce tension before being able to advance,” he added.}
“This is not sustainable,” admits Besent
The viceprimer Minister He Lifeng will attend on behalf of Beijing, as announced by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Beijing Ministry of Commerce promised that the country will “defend justice” and maintain its principles during conversations.
“If the US speaks in one way and acts about another, or even tries to continue coercing and blackmailing China under the appearance of conversations, China will never agree,” added the spokesman. Beijing will not “sacrifice its position of principles and international equity and justice to seek any agreement,” he said.
The tariffs have left the two nations with paralyzing taxes that have shocked financial markets and would have caused a strong slowdown of bilateral trade.
“This is not sustainable, as I have said before, especially by China. 145%, 125% equals an embargo. We do not want to decoupling. What we want is a fair trade,” Besent said.
GS (AFP, Reuters, DPA)
