US reaches out to China to talk tariffs: state media

BEIJING: The United States has approached China seeking talks on US President Donald Trump's singling Beijing out for exuberantly high tariffs, said Yuyuan Tantian, a social media account affiliated with Chinese state broadcaster CCTV said on Thursday.

"The United States has proactively reached out to China through multiple channels, hoping to hold discussions on the tariff issue," Yuyuan Tantian said in a post published on its official Weibo social media account, citing anonymous sources.

Guo Jiakun, a spokesperson for China's foreign ministry, on Wednesday said "as far as I know, there have been no consultations or negotiations between China and the US on tariffs".

Trump said in a US media interview published last Friday that his administration was talking with China to reach a tariff deal and that China's President Xi Jinping had called him.

Beijing last week repeatedly denied such talks were taking place, accusing Washington of "misleading the public".

Punishing US tariffs that have reached 145% on many Chinese products came into force in April, while Beijing has responded with fresh 125% duties on imports from the United States.

"From a negotiation standpoint, the US is currently the more anxious party," the outlet, which blends analysis with news reporting, said on the X-like platform Weibo.

"The Trump administration is facing multiple pressures," it added.

On Wednesday Trump reiterated there was a "very good chance we're going to make a deal".

"But we're going to make it on our terms and it's got to be fair," he told a NewsNation "town hall".