China demanded that the US revoke all unilateral tariffs and said there were no talks on reaching a trade deal, as tensions spiral between the world’s largest economies.
“The US should respond to rational voices in the international community and within its own borders and thoroughly remove all unilateral tariffs imposed on China, if it really wants to solve the problem,” He Yadong, the Ministry of Commerce’s spokesman, said at a regular briefing on Thursday in Beijing.
He also dismissed speculation that progress has been made in bilateral communications, saying “any reports on development in talks are groundless,” and urging the US to “show sincerity” if it wants to make a deal.
The remarks suggest that President Donald Trump’s comments this week signaling that he could lower tariffs on China — which currently stand at 145% for most goods — will not be enough to de-escalate tensions. The US leader said Wednesday that “everything’s active” when asked if he was engaging with China and that Beijing was “going to do fine” once talks had settled.