Despite U.S. Overtures, China Insists on Tariff Removal First

China Dismisses US-China Negotiation Remarks as "Fake News"
Trump Rebuts, Claiming Talks Took Place in the Morning

China has denied remarks by U.S. President Donald Trump about progress in trade negotiations, insisting that the United States must first withdraw its unilateral tariff measures for bilateral relations to move forward. The previous day, President Trump had made a conciliatory gesture toward China by stating that a decision on reducing tariffs against China would be made "within two to three weeks." However, within a day, he reversed his stance and sharply criticized China for refusing to accept aircraft deliveries from Boeing, the American aerospace manufacturer.

On April 24, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiajun dismissed as "fake news" a question during a regular briefing about ongoing U.S.-China negotiations and reports that a deal might be reached.

Guo explained, "As far as I know, neither side has conducted consultations or negotiations on tariffs, let alone reached any agreement." This directly contradicts President Trump's response to reporters, in which he said, "Yes, we are negotiating every day," when asked whether direct talks with China were taking place.

After China denied holding talks to ease the ongoing trade war, President Trump told reporters on April 24 (local time), "They had a meeting this morning," adding, "It doesn't matter who attended the meeting. I might reveal that later, but they met this morning, and we had a meeting with China."

Instead, China set a precondition that the United States must completely lift all China-related tariff measures if it truly wants trade negotiations. He Yadong, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, stated, "The unilateral imposition of tariffs was initiated by the United States," and emphasized that all unilateral tariffs against China must be fully withdrawn, and that differences should be resolved through equal dialogue.

However, President Trump made it clear on April 23 that while China's tariff rate could be reduced from 145%, it would not be brought down to zero (0%). The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) also reported, citing White House sources, that President Trump is highly likely to lower tariffs on Chinese goods to a range of 50% to 65%.

With disagreements over tariff rates persisting, there is speculation that negotiations between the two countries remain at a standstill. The South China Morning Post (SCMP) in Hong Kong analyzed, "The deadlock in negotiations is caused by a very simple dynamic: neither side wants to bear the political cost of appearing to surrender to the other."

Despite President Trump's softer tone toward China, Beijing has maintained a tough stance, prompting President Trump to criticize China for refusing to accept Boeing aircraft deliveries. In a post on his own social networking service, Truth Social, President Trump wrote, "China promised to purchase from Boeing but has not taken delivery of the beautifully finished aircraft," and argued that China should be declared in default for refusing to accept aircraft from the American manufacturer Boeing.

As the gap between the two countries over tariff measures widens, there are growing expectations that it will take time for both sides to reach an agreement. Zhang Zhiwei, chief economist at Pinpoint Asset Management, pointed out that even if negotiations begin, it will take a long time to reach an agreement, meaning that tariffs will continue to impact global trade and the economy for at least several months.