AsianFin -- The United States now actively seeks contacting the Chinese government to negotiate on tariffs, according to a post from Yuyuan Tantian, a social media account affiliated with the state-run broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV).
Credit：Xinhua News Agency
In recent days, the U.S. has been actively reached out to China through multiple channels, expressing its hope to engage in negotiations over tariffs, Yuyuan Tantian cited the anonymous source in a post on Chinese social media Weibo on Wednesday.
Noting U.S. President Donald Trump and members of his trade and economic teams these days frequently indicated America is engaging in trade and economic talks, the Yuyuan Tantian post suggested China is no hurry in any deals.
The more frequently Washington signaled engagement about talks, the more eagerness it revealed to promote negotiations, the post quoted analysis from the trade negotiation experts.
In terms of negotiation, the U.S. is certain to be the party which is more anxious at present for the Trump administration is weighed by various pressures, ranging from the economy, which saw its worst quarter since 2022 at the start of this year, to the public opinion as the household became more wary of the tariff fallout, Yuyuan Tantian wrote in the post.
Yuyuan Tantian believes that there is no need for China to enter negotiations with U.S. unless the Trump administration takes meaingful actions, without specifying what kind of moves China will deems as meaningful. However, it noted if the United States wants to engage with China, it is not bad for China at this stage since China needs to observe and even force out the true intentions of the U.S. and take the initiative in negotiations and fightback.
In an interview with Time Magazine published last Friday, Trump said he will not call Chinese President Xi Jinping if Xi doesn’t held a call with him, and Xi has already called him, which he doesn’t treat as a sign of weakness.
Trump in the interview revealed he’s made 200 trade deals and would unveil them in three to four weeks. Asked when the deals are going to be announced, Trump said he is dealing with all companies and “very friendly countries”, adding “We're meeting with China. We're doing fine with everybody.”
Trump on Friday was pressed multiple times by reporters to elaborate on the call with Xi he mentioned to Time but he dodged. When asked specifically if he'd spoken to him since the tariffs, Trump said, "I don't want to comment on that but I've spoken to him many times."
China on Monday insisted no talks on tariffs or trade are underway. “As far as I know, there have not been any calls between the two presidents recently,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun commented on Trump’s claims about Xi’s call in the Time interview.
“All aspects” of the US government are in contact with China, Bessent said in an interview later Monday. called for Beijing to take first steps to seek de-escalate the trade war between the world’s top two economies. He reiterated his prediction last week that the current trade fight is “unsustainable”.
“As I’ve repeatedly said, I believe it’s up to China to de-escalate because they sell five times more to us than we sell to them, so these 125% tariffs are unsustainable,” Bessent said.
When asked about Bessent's comment, Guo at a press conference on Tuesday reiterated there is no winner in a tariff war or a trade war. This tariff war is launched by the U.S. If a negotiated solution is truly what the U.S. wants, it should stop threatening and exerting pressure, and seek dialogue with China based on equality, respect and mutual benefit, said Guo.
