China said on Wednesday that it will not “sacrifice its position of principle” and defend “justice” during commercial negotiations with Washington which will take place in Switzerland, a first between the two major powers after the establishment of heavy customs duties by US President Donald Trump.
According to Beijing, the negotiations, which will take place this week, were announced following “calls from the American industry and consumers”.
The secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent and the American representative for trade (USTR) Jamieson Greer will represent the United States, said their offices.
Scott Bessent told the Fox News television channel that the two parties would hold meetings on Saturday and Sunday to lay the foundations for future negotiations.
“We will agree on what we are going to talk about. I have the feeling that it will be a de -escalation, and not a great trade agreement, “said Scott Bessent on the program” The Ingraham Angle “. “We have to defuse the situation before we can move forward,” he added.
-On the other hand, Deputy Prime Minister He Lifeng will represent China, according to the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Beijing Ministry of Trade has promised that the country “will defend (it) justice” and “will not sacrifice (it) not its position in principle” during negotiations.
“If the United States wants to solve the problem through negotiations, it must face the serious negative impact of unilateral customs duties on themselves and the world,” a spokesman for the Beijing Ministry of Trade in a statement. “If the United States speaks in one way and act on another, or (…) if they try to continue to force and make China sing under the cover of discussions, China will never agree,” he added.
Since the return of Donald Trump to the White House in January, his administration has imposed new customs duties in a total amount of 145% on goods from China, to which are added sectoral measures. Beijing retaliated by imposing 125% customs duties on American imports in China, as well as more targeted measures.
This week’s negotiations represent the first official public commitment between the two biggest economies in the world in order to resolve this trade war.
