BEIJING: If the US says one thing but does another, or even attempts to continue to coerce and blackmail under the guise of tariff talks, China will never agree, nor will it seek to reach any agreement by sacrificing its principle and position as well as international fairness and justice, a spokesperson from China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) said on Thursday.
Chinese Foreign Ministry announced Wednesday that He Lifeng, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Vice Premier of the State Council, will visit Switzerland from May 9 to 12. During his visit, He, as China’s lead person for China-US economic and trade affairs, will have a meeting with the US lead person Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, the Xinhua News Agency reported.
MOFCOM spokesperson He Yadong said at a press conference on Thursday that China has consistently maintained a firm stance against the US’ abuse of tariff measures. He urged the US side to face up to the serious negative impact that its unilateral tariff measures have had, both on itself and the global community.
“The US side should make preparations and take actions on issues such as correcting its wrong practices and lifting the unilateral tariffs,” the spokesperson said in response to a journalist’s query on an upcoming high-level economic and trade meeting between the two countries.
The spokesperson urged the US side to respect international economic and trade rules, uphold fairness and justice, heed rational voices from all walks of life, and show sincerity in talks. “We hope the US side will work with China in the same direction and address the concerns of both sides through equal consultation,” the spokesperson said. US President Donald Trump on Wednesday suggested that China initiated upcoming senior-level trade talks between the two countries and said he was not willing to cut US tariffs on Chinese goods to get Beijing to the negotiating table, Reuters reported.
The Chinese embassy said earlier on Thursday that “the US side has recently reached out to China through various channels, actively conveying its desire to engage with China on tariffs and other related issues. After carefully assessing the US messages, China decided to agree to hold discussions, and the talks are being held at the request of the US side.”
China will never accept a situation where the US says one thing but does another, nor will China seek any agreement at the cost of principles or international fairness and justice, the embassy spokesperson cautioned.
Also on Thursday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry reiterated that China’s determination to safeguard its legitimate rights and interests will not change, and our position and goal of defending international fairness and justice and upholding the multilateral trading system will not change.
The upcoming meeting in Switzerland marks the first high-level China-US trade talks since the US administration imposed steep “reciprocal tariffs.” It’s also being widely seen as a potential opening for future formal negotiations, said Chinese experts.
“Substantive dialogue cannot proceed unless the US shows genuine sincerity, as China’s stance has been consistent in safeguarding its legitimate interests and upholding international norms,” Gao Lingyun, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing, told the Global Times. –The Daily Mail-Global Times news exchange item
