China Confirms U.S. Reached Out for Trade Talks

Transcript of China’s Ministry of Commerce Press Conference Released on May 2:

Reporter:
Recently, the U.S. has repeatedly stated that it is negotiating with China on economic and trade issues and that an agreement will be reached. Does the Ministry of Commerce have any further information or comments on this?

China’s Spokesperson of the Ministry of Commerce:
China has taken note of multiple statements from senior U.S. officials expressing willingness to negotiate with China on tariff issues. At the same time, relevant U.S. parties have recently and proactively conveyed messages to China, hoping to engage in talks. China is currently assessing the situation.

China’s position remains consistent: if it’s a fight, we’ll see it through to the end; if it’s a talk, the door is open. The tariff and trade war was unilaterally initiated by the U.S. If the U.S. wants to talk, it should demonstrate genuine sincerity — by correcting its wrongful actions and being prepared to remove the unilateral tariff increases. We have noted that the U.S. has recently been sending signals about adjusting its tariff measures.

China would like to emphasize: in any potential dialogue or negotiations, if the U.S. does not correct its erroneous unilateral tariff measures, it will show a complete lack of sincerity and will further damage mutual trust. Saying one thing and doing another, or trying to use talks as a cover for coercion and blackmail — that will not work with China.

Editor: Zhiyu Wang