China US Photo:Global Times
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.
Chaotic messages
On Wednesday, the US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that the US is considering exempting car seats, baby strollers, cribs and other essential items for transporting children from tariffs on China up to 145 percent, Reuters reported.
Trump suggested just days earlier that tariffs on Chinese imports to the US will eventually be lowered. At some point, I'm going to lower them because otherwise, you could never do business with them, he said in an interview with NBC's Meet the Press with Kristen Welker.
Since launching the tariff war, the US has been sending mixed and disorganized signals, said Gao.China-US trade negotiations will take time. If the US doesn't step up with real sincerity, China is in no hurry to move forward, Gao said.
The US business community also maintains guarded expectations about the upcoming talks.
Expectations are high that trade talks between US and Chinese officials will result in a tariff reprieve, US-China Business Council President Sean Stein said, but a reasonable expectation would be that - similar to other countries - tariffs could be paused for 90 days while the two sides negotiate, per a Bloomberg report.
The US mixed signals also underscore the tough reality that its tariff strategy is limited by the deep dependence of domestic industries and consumer markets on Chinese goods, said Song Guoyou, a deputy director of the Center for American Studies at Fudan University.
Song said that the US administration uses tough rhetoric to signal to the domestic audience that it remains in control of the tariff talks with China. However, Such political grandstanding will fail to achieve US' intended policy goals or address its domestic challenges. In addition, it could also undermine its negotiations with other countries, Song said.
The European Commission has launched a public consultation targeting a list of US imports worth 95 billion euros ($107.2 billion), warning the measures could take effect if ongoing negotiations with the US fail to produce a deal, according to an EU statement released on Thursday, Xinhua reported.
Gao and Song both urged the US not to underestimate China's strategic resolve in the face of external pressure and its firm determination to safeguard its legitimate interests. China is responding to global volatility through a series of strong policy measures, and will remain a key engine of global economic growth, Gao said.
China's economy has kicked off the year strongly, with high-quality development advancing steadily and both societal confidence and market expectations steadily rising, He Lifeng said on Wednesday during a meeting with the visiting head of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority in Beijing.
China's economy started 2025 on solid footing, bolstered by a structural shift toward domestic demand and innovation, positioning the country to better weather global uncertainties, Xinhua reported. Official data showed the country's gross domestic product grew 5.4 percent year on year in the first quarter of 2025.
