Here is how China agreed to come to the table on the Trump tariff – my country

Since US President Donald Trump has imposed a severe tariff on China last month, Beijing has responded to the species. On social media and social media, pictures of Mao Zedong, the “Imperialists”, published a message: surrendering to fatwas is dangerous, and will not back down.

But behind closed doors, Chinese officials are increasingly concerned about the impact of definitions on the economy and the risk of isolation as commercial partners in China began negotiating deals with Washington, according to three officials who are aware of Beijing’s thinking.

These factors, in addition to communicating with the United States and relieving Trump’s speech, were persuaded by Beijing to send him the economic Caesar to Living To attend meetings with their counterparts in Switzerland At the end of this week, officials told Reuters.

Re -participation was complicated by the broken nature of the US -Chinese diplomacy. In particular, Beijing considered a letter sent by the American team to the Chinese ministries in late April about “Ventanil’s arrogant”, two officials said. One of these people and another official said that the efforts to arrange the talks were weak due to the differences that officials should participate.

The reasons for China to make a decision to negotiate, Washington’s message about Fntanil, American diplomatic challenges in Beijing, and early communication between the two sides by Reuters for the first time, are being reported, based on interviews with nearly ten government officials and experts on both sides. Most people were granted to hide their identity to discuss non -general information.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement to Reuters that it had reported that “China’s firm opposition to misuse of US definitions is consistent and clear, and there is no change.”

“The United States has ignored in China and imposed an unreasonable tariff on China under the pretext of fentanel. This is a typical work of bullying, which seriously undermines dialogue and cooperation between the two sides in the field of drug control.”

The State Council in China and the Ministry of Commerce immediately did not respond to requests to suspend the fax. The White House and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also did not answer Reuters questions about the period before the Geneva talks.

Chinese Deputy Foreign Minister Hua Chuning He said on Friday China has complete confidence in its ability to manage American commercial issues, adding that the Trump administration’s approach cannot continue.

The trade war between the two largest economies in the world, along with Trump’s decision last month to impose duties on dozens of other countries, disrupts supply chains, unstable financial markets and fears of acute shrinkage in global growth.

Meanwhile, the Chinese export restrictions pressed the supply of critical minerals with the American needs of weapons, electronics and consumer goods. Trump Approval categories decrease Because of his dealings with definitions and economics.

The flying period on the Geneva talks emphasizes deep lack of confidence and different negotiating patterns between the Trump and China team, which can take place lengthy and risky discussions.

“Both sides I think they are balanced in an attempt to look harsh while not being responsible for the drowning of the global economy,” said Scott Kennedy, an expert in Chinese commercial affairs at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.

“The Chinese have put a high tape of these conversations, but it became increasingly clear that the Trump administration wanted to speak, and they could not say no forever. So, they accepted what is the best seen as prior negotiating in Geneva.”

After Trump’s tariff Salvo last month, China took a difficult line in its public messages. Beijing posted footage on its official conclusions on the social media to fight the Chinese Mig-15 fighter, which is dropping an American plane in the Korean war, with the comment: “China will not kneel, because we know that defending ourselves maintains the possibility of cooperation alive, while waiving it.”

The tone began to shift on April 30, when a government media blog said that the United States “has been proactive with China through multiple channels, in the hope of discussing the customs tariff.”

Kennedy of CSIS said the communications between Chinese agencies, the Beijing embassy in Washington and the Trump administration have been increasing in recent weeks. Kennedy said that some personal interactions were held in the International Monetary Fund and attended by the World Bank meetings in late April, including with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessin, who paved the way for the Swiss meeting.

After the “Tahrir Day” tariff in Trump, Chinese Trade Minister Wang Windo quietly continued to his American counterpart, Howard Lottenic, but he was rejected as not adequately senior, according to one official who is aware of exchanges.

Trump was pressing for direct talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping. But China rejected this idea as not in line with its traditional approach to identifying details first before the leaders signed any deal, according to public data by both sides.

Another important factor for China was Trump General reprimand Ukrainian President Folodimir Zellinski said in February, one of the sources, adding that any unpopular hostile interaction between the United States and Chinese leaders would represent an unacceptable loss of face to Xi.

As the correspondence grows on both sides, China decided to launch it The Deputy Prime Minister and the close XI is LifengHis direct predecessor concluded the commercial deal “The first stage” with the United States in 2019.

One of the sources said that this step was satisfied with Washington’s demands for objective conversations with a senior official with a direct arrival to the eleventh, but it avoids exposing the Chinese leader to potential embarrassment.

As for choosing the place, the Swiss Foreign Ministry said that “during its recent contacts in Washington and Beijing, Switzerland expressed the American and Chinese authorities its willingness to organize a meeting between the two parties in Geneva.”

Three people familiar with the thinking of the Chinese government said, among the main drivers of Beijing climbing, the internal signals that are fighting Chinese companies to avoid bankruptcy and replace the American market.

One of the officials said that some areas that you feel that the immediate effect was furniture and games makers, as well as textiles.

The American diplomats in China were closely monitoring the closure of factories, strikes, and the losses of industrial heart in southern China.

Many analysts have reduced the 2025 economic growth forecast in China, and the Nomura Investment Bank warned that the trade war may cost up to 16 million jobs. The Chinese Central Bank announced this week Fresh cash stimulation.

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One of the officials said that Chinese companies are fighting to replace the American market because developing countries cannot buy the largest possible number of elements, and that this was an existential threat that must be resolved in days or weeks for many companies.

In addition, Beijing was concerned that he was left without a place at the negotiating table while its main commercial partners, such as Vietnam, India and Japan, began talks with Washington, two officials who are aware of Beijing’s thinking.

In a warning to the countries that are negotiating with the United States, the China Ministry of Commerce said in a statement this week that “calm cannot bring peace, nor can the settlement be respected, adherence to initial positions and support for fairness and justice is the correct way to protect the interests of the individual.”

As part of the batch to confront the United States, China sends Two sources told Reuters that Prime Minister Lee Qiang to Malaysia in late May was a summit with a new group of southeastern countries, Asia and Arab.

“We will buy things from you.”

In Geneva, Beijing appears to have modest expectations.

Internally, China has reduced talks from a higher level to just a meeting, reflecting his view that the discussions will often be about knowing Washington’s demands and red lines after weeks of contradictory messages by Trump and other officials in the United States, according to a person familiar with the matter.

However, one of the officials said that China could rely on the wide toolbox and Follow the Asian neighbors in an offer To buy more American LNG.

On the table, agricultural commodities can also be purchased, similar to the “first stage” deal for the year 2019 during the first period of Trump. At that time, Beijing He said that Increased US agricultural products by $ 32 billion over two years.

While other issues such as the United States axis to exempt “De Minimis” to beams less than $ 800 from China, the sale of Tiktok is also likely to play a role in the broader talks, Chinese officials said they do not expect to play a central role this week.

Even before leading to the broader trade war, Trump imposed a 20 percent tariff on Chinese goods, saying that Beijing was not doing enough to counter the flow of chemicals used to produce fatal fentanel.

One of the moves that strengthened the rapprochement, according to two officials, was a message that the United States sent to China in late April and that set the steps that Trump wanted to take on Beijing on Fintanel.

The document, which was reviewed by Reuters, caused contact with Beijing because it referred to a Report of Congress This was confirmed by China, through value -added tax discounts, directly supports the production of fentanels for sale abroad. China denies it.

The message, which was sent to the ministries of foreign affairs, trade and public security, called on Beijing to publish the campaign on the Fntanil Sects on the first page of the child’s people in the Communist Party; Send a similar message through the “Internal Party channels” to the party members; Tightening the organization of some specific chemicals; Deepening cooperation between law enforcement.

Two officials familiar with China’s reaction said that he found, especially the first two points, “arrogant” because Beijing saw that they dictated the United States what China should do in its ruling apparatus.

One of them said that fentanel will be shown in the Geneva talks and that the opening position of the United States government is to bring the four points to China.

A US official said that the Trump administration simply wants to curb China the flow of fentianel to the drug gangs.

Including the complexity of the negotiations, the Trump team in Washington freezed many American embassy officials responsible for previous contacts with their Chinese counterparts, two people said to be aware of this issue.

The new Trump ambassador to China, David Berdo, is scheduled to arrive in Beijing next week, but the deputy head of the mission Sarah Piran, who worked as a senior official in China in the Biden National Security Council, was removed from her position this week.

The officials said that the unrest led to a lack of internal consultations on the demands offered by the American side. An official familiar with Chinese thinking said there was little contact with the American embassy before the Geneva talks.