China has issued a stern ultimatum to the United States in the ongoing trade war between the two nations. The deepening feud has reached new heights as Beijing has told Washington to “completely cancel all unilateral tariff measures” if they wish to discuss a trade deal.
Despite US President Donald Trump also claiming the two sides were talking trade, China has definitely stated that there were “no economic and trade negotiations between China and the United States”. Speaking on Thursday, He Yadong, a Chinese commerce ministry spokesperson, said the “unilateral tariff measures were initiated by the US”, emphasising they should be the first to de-escalate the trade war. “If the US truly wants to solve the problem, it should completely cancel all unilateral tariff measures against China and find a way to resolve differences through equal dialogue,” he added.
However, US Treasury secretary Scott Bessent said this week that there would have to be a “de-escalation by both sides” due to the unsustainability of the trade war.
China has insisted its “door is open” to discussions, yet the first removal of tariffs must be made by the US. President Trump has attempted to reach out to negotiate a deal with President Xi Jinping, yet Beijing will not currently participate in what it deems as economic bullying.
On Wednesday, Mr Trump was asked how soon he could reduce the levies imposed on China, to which he said: “That depends on them.”
The White House tariffs on China now amount to a staggering 145%. Mr Trump’s office hiked the figure to 125% earlier this month which is added to the 20% fentanyl-related tariff already on China.
In response, Beijing imposed a 125% retaliatory tariff on US goods.
Certain goods have been exempt from the sky-high levies including smartphones, semiconductors and electronics. Earlier this week, the president said the tariffs would reduce “substantially” with a deal being concluded “pretty quickly”.
However, Beijing vehemently denied these claims, saying reports of the two nations being near a deal were “fake news”.
“There have been no consultations or negotiations between China and the United States regarding tariffs, let alone reaching an agreement,” said foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun.
Following this, Mr Trump said US and Chinese officials had met on Thursday, yet declined to give any further detail.
