Chinese authorities said they were evaluating U.S. proposals to start trade talks on import tariffs. But industry experts said that China’s latest remarks did not signal a softening in its position that the U.S. should first retract the tariffs before starting talks. Senior U.S. officials have reached out multiple times in recent days through relevant parties in the hope of starting negotiations with China on tariffs, a spokesperson from the Ministry of Commerce (MOFTEC) said, which does not mean – as President Trump stated – that negotiations are already ongoing. “China is currently assessing the situation, but our position has always been clear,” a spokesperson said. “If it’s a fight, we’ll fight to the end. If it’s a talk, the door is wide open.”
Tu Xinquan, Director at the University of International Business and Economics’ China Institute for WTO Studies, said: “China’s remarks reflect a flexible posture rather than a softened stance. It is a measured stance based on a full assessment of both domestic and international conditions. The ultimate goal for the world’s two largest economies is to return to the negotiating table, as long as the U.S. demonstrates sincerity, such as removing its unilateral tariffs. Otherwise, China is fully prepared to continue dealing with a prolonged trade war,” he said.
The spokesman from the Commerce Ministry also stressed that the tariff war was launched unilaterally by the U.S. and that any return to the negotiating table must be met with “genuine sincerity” from Washington. That includes correcting past missteps and rolling back the unilateral tariffs imposed on Chinese goods. “Saying one thing and doing another – or even trying to use talks as a cover for coercion and blackmail – won’t work with China,” the spokesman added.
Xing Ziqiang, Chief Economist at Morgan Stanley China, predicted that the weighted average tariff imposed by the U.S. on Chinese goods may be reduced to a certain extent by the end of the second quarter, and broader tariff reductions are more likely to occur in the second half of the year, especially toward the end of the fourth quarter. According to him, the signals also reflect a global dynamic at play, as most countries have adopted a wait-it-out, delay, or stonewalling strategy. “The U.S. also hopes to disrupt this balance by portraying China as already negotiating, to weaken the resolve of China and other WTO members, shaking the confidence of third parties, and thereby creating opportunities to apply pressure on China,” he said.
At home, Washington is facing mounting pressure to rethink its tariff strategy. According to Reuters, U.S. consumer confidence fell in April to an almost five-year low on growing pessimism about prospects of the economy and labor market due to tariffs. Former Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warned that Trump’s tariff policies have had a “tremendously adverse” impact on the U.S. economy. She cautioned that these measures risk “hobbling” U.S. firms, especially those reliant on critical mineral imports from China, the China Daily reports.
The South China Morning Post adds that the best way to proceed would be for both sides to appoint special negotiators. The Trump Administration has given Beijing a handful of names of Chinese officials it deems suitable to meet with the U.S. National Security Adviser to improving communication. All are thought to be members of China’s elite Politburo Standing Committee (PSC). But China has so far balked, preferring to route any talks through Foreign Minister Wang Yi. One of those on the list of preferred U.S. interlocutors is Cai Qi, analysts said, seen as Xi’s de facto Chief of Staff and a Politburo Standing Committee member, whom the White House views as closer to Xi than Wang Yi.
