• China is considering trade negotiations with the US following overtures from Washington.
• Beijing's Commerce Ministry demands the lifting of substantial tariffs as a prerequisite for talks.
• Senior US officials have expressed a willingness to engage in discussions to ease trade tensions.

China's Ministry of Commerce announced that it is open to trade negotiations with the United States, signaling a potential easing of tensions in the ongoing tariff war. The statement, made on Friday, noted that the US needs to show genuine intent by reversing its unilateral tariff measures, which have reached up to 145%. The spokesperson emphasized that if the US is serious about negotiations, it must take concrete steps to correct its "erroneous practices," such as removing the existing tariffs, according to SCMP and Reuters.

Furthermore, Beijing has asserted that any dialogue must not be used as a tool for coercion or manipulation. The Ministry of Commerce stated, "Attempting to use talks as a pretext to engage in coercion and extortion would not work," highlighting their firm stance on the matter. As tensions have escalated, China has rallied both public and global sentiment against what it has termed bullying tactics from the US, suggesting that mere expressions of willingness from the US are insufficient, according to Channel News Asia, The Jakarta Post, and India Times.

Intermediaries have reportedly communicated messages signifying that US officials are eager to discuss tariff-related issues. This comes at a critical moment when the US government's unilateral tariffs have initiated a heated trade war. The Chinese government has expressed no intention of negotiating unless the US first cancels its tariff hikes, which they view as unilaterally initiated hostilities. China's Commerce Ministry has reiterated its stance that the dialogue would only continue if the US shows sincerity, according to India Times and India Times.