China can’t force trade talks: official B2

New measures ‘no concessions’ to Trump

China and the US have not undertaken any negotiations so far on the escalating trade dispute, and while China is willing to talk, it is not up to the country to force the issue if the US is reticent, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) said Thursday.

Judging by the latest US moves, the Trump administration is not showing any intention to negotiate in good faith, Gao Feng, a spokesperson for MOFCOM, told a meeting in Beijing on Thursday.

The US Trade Representative (USTR) first published a proposed list of Chinese goods subject to additional 25 percent tariffs on April 3. Two days later, US President Donald Trump suggested an additional $100 billion in tariffs be imposed on Chinese goods. “Those moves were typically isolationist and protectionist,” Gao said, noting that China will not agree to any negotiations when threatened by the US.

Meanwhile, Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday announced China’s new opening-up measures at the opening ceremony of the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) in South China’s Hainan Province, which offered no concessions to Trump’s proposals, Gao said. “The further opening-up policy is part of China’s basic national policy, which will not be interrupted by other countries,” he noted.

Over the past four decades, China has made significant progress and only by continued opening-up will the country further develop, Gao noted. “The new measures come from us, are voluntary, and the US should not misjudge the situation,” he said.

Xi’s vow to further open-up the economy at the BFA was also applauded by other countries. JeanPierre Raffarin, former French prime minister, said he was inspired by Xi’s speech, and that France and China share a common view of globalization.

“We strongly support multilateralism, and dialogue and cooperation will help the world stay away from potential dangers,” Raffarin told the Global Times on Wednesday night at the French Embassy in Beijing.

As a French official who is active in promoting China-France relations, Raffarin said that China-US trade tensions should be tackled by discussion instead of confrontation.