BEITHING/WASHINGTON (Reuters) – China has developed civilian government officials in Beijing to “lock war” and ordered a diplomatic magic aimed at encouraging other countries to decline against US President Donald Trump’s tariff, according to four people familiar with the matter.
One of the government spokesperson, with Communist propaganda officials played a pioneering role in framing the response of China, as official speakers posted a government challenging social media that includes a former leader of Mao Zedong, saying, “We will never give up.”
As part of the “War Time” situation, Reuters details were reported for the first time, and the bureaucrats in the ministries of Foreign Affairs and Trade ordered the cancellation of holiday plans and maintaining the operation of mobile phones around the clock. They said that the departments covering the United States had been strengthened, including officials who worked to respond to China to Trump’s first state.
The combat approach of the government after Trump’s “liberation day” was a difficult turn of Beijing, who tried to avoid a dilapidated trade war. For months, Chinese diplomats tried to create a high -level communication channel with the Trump administration to defend what the Chinese cabinet described in government media campaigns as a relationship of “victory”.
Even optimistic Chinese observers have withstood hope in a major deal with Trump on trade, Tikhak – and perhaps even Taiwan.
This account depends on how China turns from searching for a deal to punching with revenge definitions and the threat of a comprehensive challenge on interviews with more than ten people, including US and Chinese government officials, as well as diplomats and other scholars who have seen bilateral exchanges.
Four of them also described how Beijing diplomats were participating in other governments targeted by the Trump tariff, including sending messages seeking to cooperate to many countries. Two people said that the United States’ allies had been connected long ago in Europe, Japan and South Korea.
Most people spoke on the condition that his identity is not disclosed to describe the secret government deliberations.
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not respond to the request. A spokesman for the Chinese embassy in Washington said in response to Reuters questions that Beijing does not want to fight commercial wars “but it is not afraid of them.”
The official said: “If the United States puts its own interests on the general interest of the international community and sacrifices the interests of all legitimate countries because of its own domination, it will definitely commit to a stronger opposition than the international community.”
The South Korean and Japanese embassies in Washington did not immediately respond to a request to comment on talks between their countries and China.
After the initial Chinese revenge, Trump said: “China has played wrongly, it was panic – the only thing they could not do!” He also suggested that Beijing wanted to make a deal, but “they do not know how to do so.”
American officials also blamed China for the dilemma because its trade surplus in a trillion dollars with the world is the result of what they see as violations of the World Trade System, which has not been successfully addressed through years of negotiations.
On April 2 of the world, Trump surprised the huge definitions that he said would prevent countries like China from “tearing” the American Chinese leader Xi Jinping, and got rid of the official caution and issued a national message raising doubt whether American voters can bear a lot of hardship like the Chinese.
Since then, “Liberation Day” fees have been suspended for all countries with the exception of China for 90 days. With some exceptions, the merchandise trade between China and the United States has become largely freezing, and Beijing began conducting the service trade, while warning its citizens against traveling to the United States and setting restrictions on importing American films.
Fdm and quick procrastination
Even after Trump was elected with the promise of high definitions, relations with Beijing began a polite start. Trump Shi called for his inauguration, which was attended by Chinese Vice President Han Cheng.
Things began to deteriorate shortly after.
During the first Trump administration, Beijing had many high -level communication channels, the most prominent of which is the then sour Koy Tianco and Trump’s son -in -law, Jared Kushner.
There is no equivalent channel this time, according to a Beijing official who is familiar with the Chinese -American relations, adding that China was not sure of Trump about their relationship.
In response to Reuters questions, an official in the Trump administration said that the United States “made it clear to China that we want to continue contacting the level of work … but they will not engage in to participate and in dialogues that do not provide American interests.”
The Chinese Ambassador to the United States XIE Feng said to failed attempts before the elections to reach the ally of TROMP billionaire Elon Musk, said an American researcher who visited China recently for informal exchanges that Beijing has historically used to communicate with Washington Lukesirio Washington.
Musk did not immediately return a request for comment.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi tried to meet Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a falcon in China, punishable by Beijing, during a visit in February to New York to chair the United Nations session but did not secure a meeting. There was no exchange publicly between senior diplomats of both sides outside a lukewarm phone call in late January.
A person familiar with this matter said that Wang also did not succeed in his efforts to meet on that trip with National Security Adviser Mike Walz. Wang has made several talks with Waltz ancestor, Jake Sullivan, including the exchange that led to rare prisoners.
The White House believes that China should send a senior commercial official instead of Wang to talk about trade issues, according to a person familiar with management thinking.
American Trade Minister Howard Lottennik said that he “does not participate with China” and that Trump wants to negotiate directly with the eleventh.
Trump told reporters this week that he would be ready to meet Shi, who also described him as a friend. He did not explain any details of a possible deal.
The Trump administration official said that the United States has repeatedly asked Chinese diplomats about whether Shi would ask for a phone call to Trump and “the answer was constantly” no. “
“This communication” does not work completely in terms of the Chinese policy -making system. “
“For the Chinese side, there is usually an agreement and work at the work level and then we can arrange the summit,” he said.
Lin Song, the chief economist in Greater China at the Bank of Inge, said the way the countries that have tried to negotiate so far this year have not done much to encourage China to sit on the table.
There are some ongoing talks between officials of the lowest level on both sides, according to a Chinese official and three American officials, although some of the working groups set by the Joe Biden administration have been frozen with commercial conflicts, as well as treasury and military issues.
The lessons learned
While many countries have been infected with American definitions this month for the first time, China sharpened its response during previous seizures of the China -American trade war.
Depending on Trump’s first lessons, China has created a revenge games book that includes customs tariffs in addition to restrictions on about 60 American companies and limited rare land exports.
This effort was caused by weeks of preparations by Chinese government officials who were charged with studying Trump’s policies and suggested counter -measures that could be gradually expanded, according to two people familiar with the situation.
She chose a strong response, as she returned with comprehensive drawings even before Trump’s tariff came into effect. The duties were announced shortly before the Wall Street opening on April 4 – a public holiday in China. American stocks decreased sharply.
One of the Chinese officials in the deliberations described the unusual response as closer to making decisions in the era of the epidemic that was implemented without removing the usual signs by all relevant departments.
Some Chinese opinion leaders seem to be outside the slope in the trade war.
Ren Yi, a political blogger, which includes nearly two million followers on the Weibo Microbloging platform in a post on April 8, said the counter measures “do not require a wide increase in customs tariffs on American goods.”
Ren, whose father was a prominent reform leader in the 1980s, has suggested targeted moves such as the suspension of fentanel cooperation and more restrictions on imports and agricultural films.
On Friday, the Ministry of Finance said that with the customs tariff for American goods now by 125 %, it will stop matching any future rise in Washington’s duties, which described the tariff strategy as a “joke”.
“Don’t give up”
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned several heads of its foreign duties to Beijing to attend a special meeting held this week to coordinate the response, according to diplomats coupled in Beijing.
China also sent official messages to government officials in other countries that Trump is exposed to engaging in commercial negotiations.
The messages, which were described by Reuters operations by four people familiar with their contents, showed the Chinese situation as well as the need for pluralism and countries to stand together. The messages also included criticism of the US policy that chanted general data in China.
A European Union diplomat told Reuters that China had contacted some of the Group of Twenty’s governments to formulate a joint advertisement expressing its support for the multilateral trading system.
However, diplomats said that messages did not address the concerns that non -American governments maintain about Chinese excessive ability, and the alleged unjust support and competition system.
Beijing said that these concerns are exaggerated and that the rise of its high -tech industries is due to its relative advantages and benefits in the world.
China also focuses heavily on the local reaction to the definitions, as social media users this week republish an opening article on April 7 in the official daily warning against panic.
China also recently started encouraging families to spend more and change its language significantly about local consumption. Beijing aims to transform the growth engine from exports to consumers at a time when the economy remains stumbling due to the failed real estate development crisis.
“The real battlefield is on the home front, rather than bilateral negotiations,” said Zhao from the University of Fodan.
Chinese officials also posted on the Musk’s X, a clip from MAO president to deliver a speech in 1953 – the last time the United States and China were in a direct military conflict during the Korean war.
In the clip, Mao, whose older son died in the war, says that peace is up to the Americans.
“Regardless of the period in which this war will continue, we will never surrender,” he said. “We will fight until we win completely.”
Anthony Sloudkovsi’s reports, written by Antoi Slokovsky, presented.
