Chinese and US officials continued to present sharply contrasting accounts of the state of negotiations over trade between the two sides on Thursday, with China saying that no formal talks have been held and calling American attempts at dialog not sincere, Reuters reports.
After President Xi Jinping’s speech to the Boao Forum on Tuesday, in which the Chinese leader pledged further market opening and a lowering of tariffs on cars and other imports, the US side has sought to present a positive take on the trade situation.
President Donald Trump told reporters Thursday that Beijing and Washington had been holding constructive discussions on trade. “We’re doing really well with China. I think we’re having some great discussions, we’ll see what happens,” he said.
However, Chinese Commerce Ministry spokesman Gao Feng directly contradicted the US president’s assertions during a media briefing the same day.
“It is not a matter of whether China is willing to participate in the negotiations. It is about the U.S. not showing sincerity at all,” Gao told reporters.
“I hope some people in the U.S do not misjudge the situation,” he added. “If the United States takes any action to escalate the situation, China will not hesitate to fight back.”