Impossible to negotiate with US on trade: China

TIL Desk/World/Beijing/China said on Monday it was impossible to hold negotiations with the US to prevent a trade war between the two countries because of threats by Washington in the form of tariffs.

“Under the current circumstances it is impossible to conduct negotiations on trade and the US is to be blamed for the trade friction,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said in a press conference.

“The US is wielding the stake of sanctions and on the other hand it is saying that we are hoping to engage in negotiations. I don’t know the true motive behind this. If the US announces a new $100 billion list, we will immediately take countermeasures,” Geng was quoted.

The spokesperson warned that “no one should underestimate China’s resolve to safeguard legitimate rights and interests”.

Geng pointed out that the US stock markets had been the first to be affected by reports of a possible trade war and urged the US “not to misjudge the situation and stop its wrong measures as soon as possible”.