China is open to negotiations if the US shows respect, names a coordinator - Bloomberg
Kyiv • UNN
China is ready for negotiations, but demands respect, a coordinated position, and resolution of issues regarding sanctions and Taiwan from the US. A negotiation coordinator is also needed.
China wants to see a number of steps from the administration of US President Donald Trump before agreeing to trade negotiations, including showing more respect by restraining derogatory remarks from members of his cabinet, citing a person familiar with the thinking of the Chinese government, Bloomberg reports, writes UNN.
Details
Other conditions include a more consistent US position and a willingness to address China's concerns about US sanctions and Taiwan, the person said.
Beijing also wants the US to appoint a key negotiator who has the president's support and can help prepare an agreement that Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping can sign when they meet, the person said.
The fate of the global economy and financial markets depends largely on whether the US and China can find a way to avoid a protracted trade war, the publication notes. Trump has imposed duties of 145% on most goods since taking office, which, it is said, prompted Beijing to retaliate and threaten to destroy much of the trade between the world's largest economies.
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The rapid pressure of American tariffs, it is noted, has provoked widespread public support in China for retaliatory measures, giving Xi a political incentive to reject Trump's repeated requests for a phone call. On Tuesday, the US leader again called on China to contact him to start negotiations to resolve the trade struggle.
According to a person familiar with Beijing's thinking, the most important prerequisite for any negotiations is that Chinese officials should know that such interaction will be conducted with respect.
While the US president has been relatively peaceful when speaking publicly about Xi, other members of his administration have been more belligerent, which has made officials in Beijing unsure of the US position, the source said.
Whatever the situation was in Trump's first term, officials in Beijing believe that he now has tremendous control over this administration, the source said. As a result, when US officials make harsh statements about China and Trump does not renounce those views, Chinese officials assume that the president indulges their position, the source said.
Although the source did not name any specific comments by administration officials, Beijing recently expressed dissatisfaction with comments made by US Vice President Jay Dee Vance about "Chinese peasants." Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian last week called the remarks "ignorant and disrespectful," a rare direct rebuke of a senior US leader.
In addition to wanting a consistent signal from the US administration, officials in Beijing also want to know that Washington is willing to consider some of China's concerns. Chief among them is the prevailing view among Chinese officials that the US has introduced policies aimed at containing and suppressing China's modernization.
In recent years, the US has tightened export controls around China, seeking to prevent Beijing from acquiring the latest chips and other advanced technologies. The Trump administration on Monday banned Nvidia Corp. from selling its H20 chip in China, escalating the technological struggle with Beijing.
China also wants the US to respond to its national security concerns, especially regarding Taiwan, the person said. Beijing claims that the self-governing island is part of its territory and has vowed to take action, including military action, if necessary, to protect those claims. China will not take any provocative actions regarding Taiwan, the person said, but it will respond if provoked.
Ultimately, Beijing also wants the US to appoint a point person to oversee the negotiations, the person said. China has no preference as to who it will be, but they want this person to clearly speak and act with Trump's authority, the publication writes.
Chinese officials also understand that Trump may want to personally lead the negotiations, the person said. While Beijing would be satisfied with Trump's desire to invest his time in such discussions, the person said, China believes that the best way forward is to appoint officials appointed by the two presidents to oversee the negotiations.
This would be the most effective way to ensure that the negotiations culminate in a meaningful summit between Trump and Xi, the person said.
