14th October 2025 - (Beijing) China's Ministry of Commerce has called on the United States to demonstrate "sincerity for dialogue" after the two sides held working‑level discussions on Monday amid a fresh flare‑up in trade tensions. In a statement on Tuesday, the ministry said that while communication continues under an economic and trade consultation mechanism set up earlier this year, Washington should not simultaneously threaten new curbs while seeking talks.

Beijing's message was pointed: negotiation and intimidation cannot proceed hand in hand. The ministry urged the U.S. to "immediately correct its wrong practices" and engage constructively, noting that technical‑level exchanges have been maintained even as rhetoric has sharpened.

The talks come as the United States and China attempt to steady relations following Beijing's announcement of export controls on rare earth magnets, a vital input for a range of high‑tech goods. The move reignited concerns over supply chains and prompted a market sell‑off late last week after President Donald Trump warned of 100% tariffs on Chinese imports from 1st November and suggested a planned meeting with President Xi Jinping could be scrapped.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent struck a more measured tone on Monday, saying there had been "substantial communications over the weekend," with further staff‑level discussions expected in Washington alongside this week's World Bank and International Monetary Fund meetings. He added he still anticipates a Trump‑Xi meeting in South Korea in late October, ahead of the APEC leaders' gathering.

Even so, Bessent drew a hard line on the rare earth issue, urging Beijing to abandon the planned restrictions and characterising them as a threat to global industrial bases. He suggested the decision may have originated with lower‑level officials rather than China's top leadership, and said Washington expected backing from Europe, India and like‑minded Asian democracies. Should talks falter, he said, the US retained "substantial levers," citing earlier countermeasures ranging from natural resources to aerospace components, and hinting at actions touching software, minerals, finance and even student visas.

Beijing presses Washington to show good faith as working‑level trade talks resume