Ministry of Commerce says ‘door is open’ to talks, but it is willing to ‘fight to the end’ otherwise.
China has said it is considering proposals by the United States to begin negotiations on US President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs.
The US has “recently, through relevant channels, actively conveyed messages to China, expressing a desire to engage in talks”, China’s Ministry of Commerce said in a statement on Friday.
“China is currently evaluating this.”
Beijing’s remarks come after Chinese state media reported earlier in the week that the Trump administration had “proactively reached out” through multiple channels.
Trump’s trade war with China has resulted in a de facto mutual trade embargo between the world’s two largest economies.
Businesses and investors have been anxiously waiting for signs that Washington and Beijing will ease their steep tariffs on each other’s goods amid fears that a protracted standoff will inflict serious damage on the global economy.
The International Monetary Fund last month lowered its global growth forecast for 2025 to 2.8 percent, down from 3.3 percent in January, while JPMorgan Chase has put the likelihood of a US recession this year at 60 percent.
Christopher Beddor, deputy China research director at Gavekal Dragonomics, a financial services company in Beijing, said that China appears to be sincere about being open to talks provided the US is serious.
“Again, they’ve got a lot of tools: The tariffs are already in place, but they also have export controls and can launch more probes into US companies,” Beddor told Al Jazeera.
“The list goes on. Most importantly, they’re rea