By SpringNewsNG Date: April 25, 2025

U.S. President Donald Trump has claimed that trade negotiations between Washington and Beijing are actively underway, directly contradicting statements from Chinese officials who insist no such talks are currently taking place.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Trump said, “They had a meeting this morning… It doesn’t matter who ‘they’ is. We may reveal it later, but they had meetings this morning, and we’ve been meeting with China.”

His remarks followed a clear statement from China’s Ministry of Commerce, which denied the existence of any ongoing economic or trade negotiations with the U.S.

“At present, there are absolutely no negotiations on the economy and trade between China and the U.S.,” said He Yadong, spokesperson for the Ministry of Commerce. He emphasized that “all sayings” about progress on trade discussions should be disregarded unless officially confirmed.

China maintains that the U.S. must remove all unilateral tariffs before meaningful discussions can resume. “If the U.S. really wants to resolve the problem, it should cancel all the unilateral measures on China,” He added.

Despite the denials from Beijing, Trump and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent suggested earlier this week that a reduction in trade tensions could be possible. This comes on the heels of the U.S. imposing a steep 145% tariff on Chinese imports, which prompted swift retaliatory duties and increased restrictions on critical minerals from China.

China’s Foreign Ministry, through spokesperson Guo Jiakun, also reiterated there are no current talks and stressed that any future engagement must be based on mutual respect and equal footing.

According to Yue Su, Principal Economist for China at The Economist Intelligence Unit, “China wants to see the trade war deescalate because it’s hurting both economies. But with the unpredictability of Trump’s approach, China has shifted its stance to prioritize its own interests over simply responding to U.S. demands.”

China recently warned that it would take countermeasures against any nation striking deals with the U.S. that undermine its interests.

“This is a ‘whatever it takes’ moment for China in managing U.S. relations,” Su added. “If tensions continue to escalate, China could take a firmer, more hawkish stance.”

Amid the uncertainty, several global financial institutions have downgraded their forecasts for China’s GDP, citing the weight of tariffs and a slowing global trade environment.

China’s Commerce Ministry on Thursday reiterated its commitment to helping domestic companies pivot to selling within the Chinese market, instead of relying heavily on exports.

Jianwei Xu, Senior Economist for Greater China at Natixis, noted, “From China’s view, serious negotiations would require the U.S. to roll tariffs back to 20% or lower. But for Trump, walking back tariffs too far may lead to questions about the purpose of the trade conflict in the first place.”

The U.S. remains China’s top single-country trading partner, though Southeast Asia has overtaken the European Union as China’s largest regional trading partner in recent years.