State media message suggests softening of Beijing’s position, say analysts
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Chinese state media has said there would be “no harm” in holding trade talks with the Trump administration, indicating a softening of Beijing’s position as both sides look for a way out of their crushing tariff war.
The gesture comes as Trump has indicated he hopes to negotiate over trade and as
the fallout has begun to show in China’s economic data, with factory activity in April dropping the most since 2023 as export orders dried up.
Yuyuan Tantian, an account affiliated with state broadcaster CCTV, said in a social media post on China’s Weibo platform on Thursday that Beijing did not need to talk to the US before Washington took substantive action.“But if the US wishes to engage with China, there’s no harm in it for China at this stage,” it said.
Analysts said the language represented a softening of Beijing’s position from last week when the commerce ministry indicated the US would need to drop its steep levies on China before negotiations could begin.
Andrew Polk, co-founder of Trivium China, an advisory group, said the post seemed “to be laying the groundwork to come to the table”.“By painting the US as the more eager, more anxious, more pressured party they are trying to portray themselves as coming from a place of strength,” he said. “This should play well with the domestic audience and give them cover to start negotiations.”