China warns US against 'talks and threats' approach

ANKARA

China on Tuesday warned the US against the "talks and threats" approach and urged Washington to work with Beijing to restore a stable economic relationship.

China's Commerce Ministry spokesperson made the comments in response to US claims that China had postponed a planned phone call to discuss recent rare earth export controls, according to the state-run Xinhua News.

"The US side cannot seek talks on one hand while threatening to introduce new restrictive measures on the other. This is not the right way to get along with China," said the spokesperson.

The spokesperson emphasized that China had already notified the US in advance through the bilateral export control dialogue mechanism and that both sides had held working-level consultations as recently as Monday.

The ministry reaffirmed Beijing's willingness to engage in dialogue while expecting Washington to take a balanced and constructive approach to managing trade differences.

On Friday, US President Donald Trump vowed to impose new tariffs of 100% on Chinese goods and restrict the export of "critical software" from Nov. 1, after Beijing announced restrictions on the export of rare earth minerals.

On Monday, China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian pushed back on Trump’s threats of 100% tariffs on Chinese imports, stressing such moves were “not the right way” to deal with bilateral ties.

However, in a surprising turn of events on Sunday, Trump said that trade tensions with China will be resolved, posting a reassuring message just days after threatening 100% tariffs.

China has expanded rare earth export restrictions, imposing limits on processing and manufacturing technologies and prohibiting cooperation with foreign companies without prior government authorization.