China’s confirmation that it is evaluating whether to reopen talks with the United States over a potential deal to de-escalate the trade war should not be interpreted as a softening of its position, as Beijing remains in no rush to engage, analysts said. Beijing said on Friday that Washington had been reaching out “through relevant channels, expressing a desire to engage in talks” – its first official acknowledgement in weeks of a US overture. But a spokesperson from the Ministry of Commerce also said the US should remove the tariffs it had imposed on China to “demonstrate sincerity by addressing its wrong practices”, if it truly wanted to talk. The comments represent a “positive step”, because they formally outline China’s conditions for any trade discussions with the US, said Victor Gao, vice-president of the Centre for China and Globalisation, a Beijing-based think tank. However, the ministry statement does not reflect a change in tone from China, as Beijing is serious about making the US lower tariffs before any formal negotiations begin, according to Gao. “I think it brings everything back to square one rather than changing the Chinese position,” he said. “My reading is that China is not in a hurry to talk to the United States. The ball is in the American court.”
China’s official evaluation of whether to restart talks with the US to ease the trade war is not a sign of weakness, experts say. They reckon that Beijing isn’t exactly eager to jump into discussions anytime soon. Last Friday, China admitted that the US had been trying to reach out and talk things over, but they also made it clear that the US needs to lift the tariffs they put on China first if they want to show they’re serious about negotiating. Victor Gao, from the Centre for China and Globalisation, thinks this is a good thing because it shows China’s conditions for talking trade with the US. But Gao also thinks that China is dead serious about getting the US to drop those tariffs before they start any real talks. “To me, it seems like we’re back to the beginning, not really changing China’s stance,” he said. “China isn’t exactly itching to chat with the US. The ball’s in their court.”
China is not just sitting around waiting for the US to make a move. They are carefully considering whether to reopen discussions about the trade war. It’s kind of a big deal because China has been pretty quiet about talking to the US lately. The Ministry of Commerce said that the US has been trying to talk through the right channels to get things going again. But they also made it clear that the US needs to get rid of the tariffs they slapped on China first if they want to show they’re serious about talking. Victor Gao, who works at a think tank in Beijing, thinks this is a good step because it shows what China wants before they start talking with the US. But Gao also thinks that China is pretty set on getting the US to drop those tariffs before they even think about having a real conversation. “I’m not really sure why this matters, but it feels like we’re back to where we started, not changing what China’s been saying,” he said. “It seems like China isn’t exactly in a rush to chat with the US. It’s up to the US now.”
China’s confirmation that it is evaluating whether to reopen talks with the United States over a potential deal to de-escalate the trade war should not be interpreted as a softening of its position, as Beijing remains in no rush to engage, analysts said. Beijing said on Friday that Washington had been reaching out “through relevant channels, expressing a desire to engage in talks” – its first official acknowledgement in weeks of a US overture. But a spokesperson from the Ministry of Commerce also said the US should remove the tariffs it had imposed on China to “demonstrate sincerity by addressing its wrong practices”, if it truly wanted to talk. The comments represent a “positive step”, because they formally outline China’s conditions for any trade discussions with the US, said Victor Gao, vice-president of the Centre for China and Globalisation, a Beijing-based think tank. However, the ministry statement does not reflect a change in tone from China, as Beijing is serious about making the US lower tariffs before any formal negotiations begin, according to Gao. “I think it brings everything back to square one rather than changing the Chinese position,” he said. “My reading is that China is not in a hurry to talk to the United States. The ball is in the American court.”
