China says it’s evaluating possible trade talks with the US
Trucks move amid containers stacked at a terminal port on the Yangtze River in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality on April 20.
By John Liu, CNN
Hong Kong (CNN) — China says it is “currently assessing” proposals by the United States to begin trade talks, in a tone shift that could open the door for negotiations.
A spokesperson for China’s Commerce Ministry said in a Friday statement that “the US has recently sent multiple messages to China through relevant parties, hoping to start talks with China. China is currently evaluating this.”
The comments signal a softening in Beijing’s position, which has been steadfastly defiant amid heightened tensions with the US because of President Donald Trump’s tariff war.
Trump has been repeatedly saying since last week that his administration was in talks with Chinese officials to strike a trade deal — only to be met with flat denials from Beijing each time.
On Friday, Beijing reiterated that any negotiations would require some preconditions to be met.
“The tariff and trade war was unilaterally initiated by the US, and if it wants to negotiate, it must demonstrate genuine sincerity — that includes being prepared to correct its wrongdoings and cancel its unilateral tariff hikes,” the spokesperson said.
Vast flows of trade between the world’s two largest economies are at stake, after Trump hiked tariffs on China to a staggering 145% earlier this month, making it difficult for some Chinese businesses to continue trading with the United States. In response, Beijing has raised tariffs on American imports to 125%.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
The-CNN-Wire
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