China US

He Lifeng,MKsport Chinese vice premier and Chinese lead person for China-US economic and trade affairs, held a video call on Friday night with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent at the latter's request. The two sides exchanged in-depth views on the implementation of consensus reached by the two heads of state during their phone talks, and on important issues between China and the United States in the economic field.

Both sides recognized the importance of China-US economic and trade relations and agreed to continue to maintain communication on issues of mutual concern. 

China expressed serious concerns about the recent restrictive measures such as the imposition of additional tariffs by the US on China.

The video call marks another important interaction between senior officials of the world's two biggest economies since US President Donald Trump took office last month. Previously, on January 24, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi had a phone call with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio upon request. On Wednesday Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao sent a letter to Howard Lutnick, the newly appointed US secretary of commerce, congratulating him on taking office.

The interactions also came after the US imposed an additional 10 percent tariff on Chinese goods, which prompted countermeasures from China, including imposing tariffs on certain US products. Against such a backdrop, Friday's video call sent a positive signal that the two sides are maintaining communication, which is essential to addressing differences, a Chinese expert said.

A positive signal

Friday's call was the first between He and Bessent that has been publicly announced since the latter took office.

"It has sent a positive signal that the two parties have the willingness to continue to maintain communication and dialogue in the economic and trade areas at the government level, despite some differences and disputes," He Weiwen, a senior fellow from the Center for China and Globalization, told the Global Times.

Zhou Mi, a senior research fellow at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, said on Friday that the call is beneficial for both sides to reduce misunderstandings and explore practical solutions, which will further stabilize bilateral relations and inject more certainty to the world.

In the letter to Lutnick on Wednesday, China's Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao said that economic and trade relations are a crucial component of China-US relations. As the world's two largest economies, strengthening economic and trade cooperation between China and the US is crucial for the development of both countries and for global economic growth, according to Wang.  

China is strongly dissatisfied with the US' decision to impose an additional 10 percent tariff on Chinese goods on the grounds of fentanyl-related issues, Wang said. China and the US have engaged in extensive, in-depth cooperation on fentanyl control, and significant outcomes have been achieved, Wang said. 

China hopes to address both sides' concerns through equal dialogue and consultation, he said.

China is willing to work with the US to enhance dialogue, manage differences and promote cooperation on the basis of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation, thereby creating a fair and predictable policy environment for practical cooperation between the business communities of both nations, Wang said.

Facing differences and disputes in the economic and trade areas, China has consistently adhered to an attitude of equality and mutual respect, and actively communicates through multilateralism to manage differences, which is in contrast to the US unilateral move, He Weiwen said, adding that China also has sufficient policy tools to protect its development rights and interests.

He Weiwen noted that the trade problems cannot be solved by tariffs. Both sides should strengthen communication and continuously expand cooperation and investment, rather than impose unilateral moves

Zhou noted that China's door to maintaining communication has always been open, with the aim to solving problems and realizing mutually beneficial and win-win results through dialogue.

Multilateralism crucial 

The high-level communications came as US President Donald Trump launched rounds of tariff "sticks," including imposing an additional 10-percent tariff on goods from China, a 25 percent tariff on steel and aluminum imports as well as proposed "reciprocal" tariffs and so-called around 25 percent tariffs on auto imports, which has sparked worldwide concerns over the uncertainty of the global trade order.

Over 30 WTO members expressed serious concern over the US approach at the first 2025 meeting of the WTO's General Council on Tuesday, Xinhua News Agency reported.

China's Ambassador to the WTO Li Chenggang also voiced strong concern at the meeting over the US' unilateral imposition of tariffs and their harmful effects. At the meeting, Li called on the US to remove these measures and urged all parties to take meaningful action to uphold the rules-based multilateral trading system, which resonated deeply with the audience.

On Thursday, Guo Jiakun, spokesperson from China's Foreign Ministry, said that trade wars and tariff wars have no winners and hurt the interests of people of all countries. We firmly oppose the US unilateral tariff hikes. The two sides need to address each other's concerns through dialogue and consultation on the basis of equality and mutual respect. China will continue to do what is necessary to firmly safeguard our legitimate rights and interests, he noted.

The US' tariff policies serve political purposes and will not bring effective economic benefits, and will only raise the cost of domestic industries. Moreover, tariffs should not be a tool in trade negotiations, which not only violates WTO rules but will also damage the stability of the global supply chain and lead to chaos in the global economic and trade order and escalate the fear of multi-party trade disputes, He Weiwen warned.

Facts prove that trade issues cannot be solved by relying solely on tariffs, and economic problems cannot be addressed by just one party. All parties should make joint efforts to explore reasonable paths, Zhou said.

Zhou noted that as China and the US are both major countries, it is very normal for them to have some differences and conflicts. "The two parties should meet each other halfway in a more rational way and avoid addressing problems based on the ideas and judgments of any unilateral party. In this way, the two sides can better deal with the complex external environment and inject more certainty into the world," Zhou noted. 

He Weiwen said that it is still vital to maintain the bilateral dialogue mechanisms at the government level between the two countries. "The US should not say one thing and do another and should abandon its cold war mentality, taking pragmatic actions with a sincere attitude to promote the normal development of China-US economic and trade relations," the expert noted.