China's Foreign Ministry denied that any consultation or negotiations with the U.S. were ongoing on the issue of tariffs, let alone that they were close to reaching an agreement on the matter, as U.S. President Trump on the contrary asserted that negotiations were being held. Spokesperson Guo Jiakun said that this is false information. “None of that is true. As far as I know, China and the U.S. are not having any consultation or negotiation on tariffs, still less reaching a deal,” Guo said. He added that this tariff war was launched by the U.S. “China's position is consistent and clear: We will fight, if fight we must. Our doors are open, if the U.S. wants to talk. Dialogue and negotiation must be based on equality, respect and mutual benefit,” he said. Asked to comment on U.S. President Donald Trump's remarks that the U.S. tariffs against Chinese goods were “very high” and will drop “substantially,” and the U.S. Treasury Secretary's claim that the China-U.S. tariff war will de-escalate, Chinese Commerce Ministry Spokesperson He Yadong said that the person who tied the bell must untie it.
The unilateral tariff increase was initiated by the US, and if the U.S. really wants to solve the problem, it should heed the rational voices of the international community and domestic parties, completely cancel all unilateral tariff measures against China, and find a way to resolve differences through equal dialogue, He said. The spokesperson further pointed out that the U.S.' abuse of tariffs violates fundamental economic and market principles, and these measures fail to address the U.S.' own issues while severely undermining the global economic order and disrupting normal business operations and consumers' lives, facing strong opposition both internationally and in the U.S.
In response to report by the Wall Street Journal, citing a White House official, that the China tariffs could come down from their current level of 145% to between 50% and 65%, and media reports that President Donald Trump said “It depends on China” how soon the tariffs can come down, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Guo Jiakun said that China's position has always been consistent and clear. If the U.S. truly seeks to resolve issues through dialogue and negotiation, it should abandon its approach of maximum pressure, stop making threats and engaging in coercion, and engage in dialogue with China on the basis of equality, mutual respect, and reciprocity. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that the Trump Administration will not unilaterally reduce tariffs imposed on China, and US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent added that there were no plans for the Trump Administration to move first in lowering tariffs to de-escalate the bitter U.S.-China trade war.
The Global Times noted that domestic opposition to the tariffs continues to grow in the U.S. with businesses and consumers feeling the pressure as the impact of tariffs bites. Three leading figures in American retail – Walmart's Doug McMillon, Target's Brian Cornell and Home Depot's Ted Decker – met with the U.S. President at the White House to voice their concerns. They warned that tariffs will raise consumer prices and could potentially disrupt retail supply chains and lead to product shortages. President Trump softened his tone on China a day after he met the chief executives.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told a closed-door investor summit that President Donald Trump’s tariff war with China has led to an unsustainable, two-way “embargo” and that he expected the situation to de-escalate. “No one thinks the current status quo is sustainable, at 145% and 125%, so I would posit that over the very near future, there will be a de-escalation. We have an embargo now on both sides.” Bessent’s comment that negotiations had not yet started differed from Trump’s own take, when he said “top officials” from Beijing were talking with their Washington counterparts and expressed confidence that a deal on tariffs would be reached soon. Bessent also said in the session on the sidelines of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank’s spring meetings, hosted by JPMorgan Chase, that negotiations with Beijing had not started but that a deal was possible. Trump added that Beijing would not be establishing the terms for a deal and that the U.S. – led by Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and the President himself – would “be setting the deal and it will be a fair deal for everybody”.
Ling Ji, Vice Minister of Commerce and Deputy China International Trade Representative, has chaired a roundtable with foreign-invested enterprises to discuss the impact of U.S. tariff hikes on their operations and investment in China, vowing to further expand opening-up and urging firms to jointly defeat unilateralism and protectionism. The Vice Minister called on foreign-invested enterprises to voice their rational views, strengthen their confidence, overcome difficulties, turn crises into opportunities, and jointly defeat unilateralism and protectionism. Representatives from participating companies noted that despite a complex and challenging external environment, the Chinese government remains committed to addressing the concerns of foreign businesses, advancing its opening-up policy, and maintaining consistent, stable and predictable policies for foreign investment. They expressed their willingness to continue investing in China, deepen mutually beneficial cooperation and tackle challenges together. The meeting, hosted by the China Association of Enterprises with Foreign Investment, was attended by representatives of more than 80 foreign-funded enterprises and foreign chambers of commerce in China.
In a statement on social media on April 26, the Chinese Embassy in Washington again described assertions that talks had occurred as “purely misleading”. “China and the U.S. have not conducted consultations or negotiations on tariffs, let alone reached any agreement,” the Embassy said. Trump claimed in an interview with Time magazine published on April 25 and again before attending Pope Francis’ funeral that he had spoken with Xi and that details would be disclosed “at an appropriate time”. Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Guo Jiakun denied that Beijing had made any overtures to Washington on trade negotiations, dismissing claims of progress on bilateral talks as “fake news”. The Ministry of Commerce echoed that position, adding that Trump should first abolish all unilateral tariffs on China to find a solution.
