China asks US to 'show sincerity for dialogue' during working-level talks

The recent tensions are now casting a shadow over a planned meeting between Trump and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, in South Korea on the sidelines of the Apec forum later this month

China’s Ministry of Commerce on Monday urged the United States to “show sincerity for dialogue,” as both sides held working-level trade talks amid escalating tensions.

 

“The US cannot engage in dialogue while intimidating and threatening to impose new restrictions. This is not the right way to deal with China,” the ministry said, according to the South China Morning Post.

 

It added that Washington must “immediately correct its wrong practices” and avoid undermining conditions for constructive engagement.

 

Trade tensions escalate again

 

The remarks follow a new round of friction triggered by US President Donald Trump’s decision to impose an additional 100 per cent tariff on Chinese goods starting November 1.

 

 

Trump said his move was a response to Beijing’s plans to expand export controls to nearly all products, including rare earth minerals, which are critical to global technology supply chains.

 

Calling China’s move a “moral disgrace,” Trump wrote that Beijing had taken an “extraordinarily aggressive” stance by issuing a “hostile letter” to the international community and imposing sweeping restrictions.

 

If implemented, the new US tariffs would raise total import duties on Chinese products to nearly 130 per cent, close to pre-truce levels earlier this year.

 

Apec summit meeting under uncertainty

 

The latest escalation threatens to overshadow the planned meeting between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) forum in South Korea later this month.

 

After Trump’s announcement, Beijing accused Washington of “double standards,” saying repeated tariff threats were not a constructive approach to dialogue.

 

Trump, meanwhile, posted on Truth Social, "Don’t worry about China, it will all be fine! Highly respected President Xi just had a bad moment. He doesn’t want Depression for his country, and neither do I. The U.S.A. wants to help China, not hurt it.”  ALSO READ| At risk of his career, Trump calls Italian PM Giorgia Meloni 'beautiful' 

China defends its export controls

 

Amid the standoff, both sides have continued to communicate under a bilateral economic and trade consultation mechanism established earlier this year.

 

US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said Washington was caught off guard by Beijing’s rare earth restrictions, claiming China declined to discuss the issue.

 

“As soon as we found out from public sources, we reached out to the Chinese to have a phone call, and they deferred,” Greer said in a TV interview.

 

China’s Ministry of Commerce rejected this claim, insisting the US had been notified in advance and that the controls were legitimate steps to improve its export system.

 

“China’s export controls do not equate to a ban on exports; applications that comply with regulations will be approved as always,” the ministry said.

 

New front in the trade war: maritime fees

 

According to a Reuters report, both Washington and Beijing are now preparing to impose additional port fees on ocean shipping companies transporting goods from consumer items to crude oil.

 

Beijing confirmed that it had begun levying special charges on US-owned, operated, built, or flagged vessels, though Chinese-built ships will be exempt.

 

Analysts warn the move could open a new front in the US-China trade war, shifting tensions from tariffs to maritime logistics, even as both sides prepare for high-level diplomacy at the Apec summit.