Beijing warns Washington: all trade promises are off if US imposes tariffs
With no specifics given by either side after second round of talks in Chinese capital, analysts say they appear to have ‘ended in another stalemate’
The latest round of back-and-forth trade negotiations between Beijing and Washington ended on Sunday with a warning from Beijing that its trade promises will “not go into effect” if the US puts any sanctions – including additional tariffs – back on the table.
Beijing’s strong statement puts the ball firmly back in the court of US President Donald Trump as to whether Washington should go ahead with tariff plans against Chinese products and risk a full-blown trade war, or if it should take a step back and accept the concessions China has offered.
No specifics were announced by either side after the second round of trade talks in the Chinese capital over the weekend, this time between an American delegation led by US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and a Chinese team headed by Vice-Premier Liu He.
While the Chinese side said talks between Ross and Liu had made “positive and concrete progress” on agreements reached in Washington in areas such as agriculture and energy, it said the details needed “further confirmation”.
“The achievements reached by both China and the US should be based on the premise that the two sides are coming from opposite directions and will not fight a trade war,” state news agency Xinhua said on Sunday.