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The Chinese state media said that there would be “no harm” to hold commercial talks with the Trump administration, indicating a softening of Beijing's position while the two parties are looking for a way to get out of their overwhelming tariff war.
The gesture occurs while the fallout from the trade war began to show in the economic data of China, with a factory activity in April drop it most since 2023 As the export orders have sucked.
Yuyuan Tantian, an account affiliated with the CCTV state broadcaster, said in an article on social networks on the Chinese platform of Weibo on Thursday that Beijing did not need to speak in the United States before Washington took substantial measures.
“But if the United States wants to get involved with China, there is no trouble for China at this stage,” he said.
The long post cited anonymous sources to note that US officials had “proactively contacted China by various channels in the hope of talking to the Chinese side on the prices”.
He also highlighted American economic data, including empty ports and a GDP contraction in the first quarterSaying that Washington was “certainly the most anxious part” for negotiations.
“If they are discussions, the door is wide open,” said Yuyuan Tantian. “If it's a fight, we will see it until the end.”
Analysts declared that the language represented a softening of the Beijing position last week when the Ministry of Commerce said that the United States should drop its stiff surveys On China before negotiations can begin.
Andrew Polk, co-founder of Trivium China, an advisory group, said that the position seemed to “lay the foundations to come to the table”.
“By painting the United States as the most impatient, more anxious and more under pressure party, they try to describe themselves as coming from a place of force,” he said. “It should play well with the domestic audience and give them coverage to start negotiations.”
Zichen Wang, author of the Pekingnology newsletter and researcher at the Center for China and Globalization Tank in Beijing, said that articles by Yuyuan Tantian and another social media account indicated that China seemed ready for commercial negotiations.
“This signaling method through social media accounts remains relatively new in the Chinese context,” he said, although Wang noted that Beijing also used a social media account for signaling during the First Trade War with the United States.
Wang added that the United States “must demonstrate respect, refrain from hostile rhetoric and present authentic sincerity” so that any significant progress occurs.
Washington and Beijing engaged in a climbing of tithe-for-tat after Trump started raising prices on Chinese products in February. Additional samples reached 145%, while Beijing imposed 125% relaxation.
Trump told journalists on Wednesday that he expected to speak to Chinese President Xi Jinping at some point. In recent weeks, Trump has made multiple affirmations on talks with China that people familiar with the question in Beijing and Washington have said are wrong.
Jamieson Greer, the US trade representative, told Fox News on Wednesday that the United States and China had not organized commercial negotiations since Trump took office in January.
Trump wants to negotiate a trade agreement directly with XI, but Chinese officials have clearly told his administration that the two parties should conclude a kind of agreement before the two leaders can speak.
“Right now … they have a lot of difficulties because their factories are not dealing,” said Trump, adding that the United States could do without Chinese goods.
“Someone said:” Oh, the shelves will be open. “Well, children may have two dolls instead of 30 dolls.
His comments follow the direct warnings of large American retailers, notably Walmart and Target, who told Trump during meetings at the White House that the trade war would lead to empty shelves at a given time.
While the two countries remain at an impasse in the trade war, the two parties have softened the impact of certain prices by granting exemptions to crucial goods such as iphones and chemical imports.
However, the establishment began to strike the two savings. Traffic in American ports has quickly decreased in China, the exports of exports began to make workers.
“The key point of pain for China in the current endurance test between China and the United States is the health of the labor market,” Lynn Song, chief economist in Greater China, told ING.
