Beijing says claims it is nearing a deal with Washington to resolve the trade war are ‘fake news’

Beijing has called on the US to “completely cancel all unilateral tariff measures” if it wants trade talks, in some of China’s strongest comments yet on the impasse between the world’s two economic superpowers.

“The unilateral tariff measures were initiated by the US,” said He Yadong, a Chinese commerce ministry spokesperson. “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.”

Beijing has maintained that the US must make the first move to de-escalate the crisis, which is threatening to spark a hard decoupling between the two countries’ economies.

Chinese analysts argue that the US imposition of high tariffs make it difficult for Beijing to find a way to defuse the crisis.

China’s President Xi Jinping would find it difficult to engage personally with Trump on the trade war unless this was preceded by extensive negotiations to hammer out a deal, they say.

Archive link

  • ☆ Yσɠƚԋσʂ ☆@lemmy.ml
    35·
    13 hours ago

    Given that China isn’t going to cave, what you’re saying here is that you think the US should tank its economy by doubling down. Sounds like you’re well qualified for a job at the White House.

    • Jorge@lemmygrad.ml
      1·
      47 minutes ago

      What about the hypothesis that in reality Trump wants to “decouple” from China to enhance is military capability in a war on China?

      I mean, it is clear to me that the US has little chance to compete on economic/innovation merit, yet it still has a considerable chance militarily… for now. The psychopaths running the US probably know they can only hope to compete via violence, and in a few years even that opportunity will be lost.

      I am afraid of WW3. I really hope the US is so blinded by its own neoliberal koolaid that they continue to bet China is about to collapse, as Gordon Chang has been predicting since 2001.