[Text by Observer Network, Xiong Chaoyan] The US side first provoked the tariff war and got hurt itself, then constantly "self-hyped" the negotiation topic unilaterally, but was repeatedly refuted by China. Whether there is a so-called "negotiation", in these days, it seems that even the Trump administration itself has not figured it out.

According to reports by ABC News and Reuters on April 27, U.S. Treasury Secretary Bessent did not endorse President Trump's claim that he is negotiating tariffs with China during an appearance on ABC's "This Week" program. He said he did not know if Trump had communicated or spoken with the Chinese side.

In response to Trump's continued hype about the "China-US communication" at an interview with Time magazine on April 22, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Guo Jiajun reiterated at a regular press conference on April 28: "As far as I know, the leaders of the two countries have not had a phone call recently. I must reiterate that there has been no consultation or negotiation between China and the United States on the tariff issue."

U.S. Treasury Secretary Bessent participates in ABC program ABC

Previously, Trump insisted on provoking a tariff war against China. After China's successive countermeasures, he has recently been "winking" continuously, hyping up the so-called "negotiation" topic unilaterally to create momentum for trade negotiations. Fundamentally, this is just an attempt to cover up his increasingly passive unfavorable situation.

Last week, over two consecutive days, China has refuted rumors claiming that the so-called "consultation and negotiation" are false information.

Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Guo Jiajun stated on April 24 that these are all false information. As far as I know, there has been no consultation or negotiation between China and the United States on the tariff issue, let alone reaching an agreement. On April 25, Guo Jiajun responded again: "Yesterday, my colleagues from the Ministry of Commerce and I have clearly answered this question. There has been no consultation or negotiation between China and the United States on the tariff issue. The US side should not confuse the facts."

When asked by ABC about China's denial of the US side's so-called "negotiation," Bessent tried to downplay it by saying: "I think their statements are strategies aimed at different audiences."

On the same day that Bessent contradicted Trump, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins stated in an interview on CNN's "State of the Union" program that "we are in dialogue every day with China and other 99 or even 100 negotiating countries." However, she did not provide detailed explanations.

Reuters pointed out that Trump's unpredictable and often confusing tariff measures have had a significant impact on many countries, including the US's largest trading partners such as Canada, Mexico, and China. Such policies have caused unprecedented market volatility and severely damaged investors' trust in US assets.

On April 22, U.S. Treasury Secretary Bessent, considered the main negotiator for tariffs, issued a warning about the tense Sino-US trade relations during a closed-door speech, frankly telling investors that the current deadlock "cannot last forever."

According to US media reports, at a private investment conference hosted by JPMorgan in Washington, Bessent said, "At the current tariff rate level, no one thinks the current situation can continue indefinitely."

While expressing concern, Bessent also tried to reassure investors. Bessent said he expected the trade war initiated by Trump against China to ease "very soon." However, he also admitted at the time that negotiations with China had not yet begun and that this would be a "long-term battle."

A participant revealed that Bessent described the current situation in his speech as an "essential trade embargo" and insisted that the purpose of US tariffs on China was "not to decouple from China." He also believed that the easing of the situation between these two economic superpowers "should relieve the world and the markets."

On April 24, spokesperson He Yadong of China's Ministry of Commerce responded to the US side's statement about "cooling down tariffs": "The US side's arbitrary imposition of tariffs violates basic economic laws and market rules. It not only fails to help solve its own problems but also seriously disrupts the international trade order, interfering with enterprises' normal production and operations and people's daily lives and consumption. This has already drawn strong opposition from the international community and within the US. To resolve the problem, the US must address the rational voices from the international community and domestically, completely cancel all unilateral tariff measures against China, and find solutions through equal dialogue."

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Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7498337101486866970/

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