US and China take positions as trade talks begin

Chinese media has warned the US to approach today’s trade talks “with sincerity,” adding that Beijing will not adhere to all of Washington’s requests.

In an editorial, Global Times stated: ‘Washington had better not expect that its trade-war stick will force Beijing to take whatever the US delegation offers. The imminent dialogue must be held on an equal footing and the US delegation has to come with sincerity.’

A team of US trade negotiators are in Beijing to try and find a solution to the simmering tensions between the world’s two largest economies. The talks are expected to run across Thursday and Friday.

Striking a similarly resilient tone, US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said a failure to make a break-through will result in the US implementing controversial tariffs previously outlined – the so-called 232 and 301, named after the legislative investigations, Section 232 and Section 301, upon which Washington justifies their use.

“If we don’t make a negotiated settlement, we will pursue the 232s and impose them, we will pursue the 301 and impose them,” Ross said, according to The South China Morning Post. “So, one way or another, we are going to deal with this recurring problem of trade with China.”

Last week, President Trump said there was “a very good chance” of a deal being reached. But that might take some time – Chinese state media Xinhua cited Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying yesterday as saying, ‘given the volume of the two economies and the complexity of their relations, it is unrealistic to expect to solve all the problems through one single consultation.’