MNI BRIEF: China Says Still No Trade Talks With U.S.

China and the U.S have not started trade talks so far and China will respond to the end should the U.S insists on confrontation, a spokesperson for Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday. 

China and the U.S. have not engaged in any consultations or negotiations on tariff issues, let alone reached an agreement, said Guo Jiakun, adding that any dialogue must be based on equality, mutual respect, and reciprocity. 

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for China’s Ministry of Commerce also confirmed that, as of now, no economic or trade negotiations have taken place between China and the U.S. (See MNI INTERVIEW: Chinese Firms Should Hedge Dollar Risk-Guan Tao)

If the U.S. wants to resolve the dispute, it should completely abolish all additional tariffs against China, and work toward resolving differences through equal dialogue, the Minister of Foreign Affairs spokesperson said.