Beijing, Washington had talks on trade "at the working level" on Monday, Oct 13

China says it informed the U.S. of the Oct. 9 measures beforehand

China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) just now (Tuesday, October 14, Beijing Time) released the following statement. In addition to reiterating its stance, two new facts are revealed.

1.

China reiterates that it informed the U.S. government before rolling out its series of measures on Oct. 9, contradicting what USTR Jamison Greer told Fox News on Sunday/Oct 12, that the U.S. was not informed beforehand and only found out about it in public sources. Via Reuters

“I can tell you that we were not notified, and quickly, as soon as we found out from public sources, we reached out to the Chinese to have a phone call, and they deferred,” Greer told Fox News’ “Sunday Briefing”

MOFCOM just now says

Before the implementation of these measures, China had already notified the U.S. through the bilateral export control dialogue mechanism.

In fact, MOFCOM is repeating itself as it already hinted at it on October 12. But that’s the feature with China’s official public messaging - oo vague. As I reported on October 12, MOFCOM said then

Before announcing the measures, China had notified relevant countries and regions through bilateral export control dialogue mechanisms.

Based on this, did someone at the receiving end of the U.S. “bilateral export control dialogue mechanism” not notify USTR Jamison Greer?

Also, President Donald Trump described the Chinese Oct. 9 measures was “a real surprise” in a social media post.

So was there some internal communications issues on the U.S. side?

2.

China and the U.S. talked on Monday, October 13

The two sides have maintained communication within the framework of the China-U.S. economic and trade consultation mechanism — just yesterday, the working-level teams held a meeting.

This is apparently in response to USTR Greer’s public grievance on October 12 that no one picked up the phone when Washington reached out. Beijing didn’t exactly address the particular detail but revealed there was a working level meeting yesterday/Monday/October 13.

Now, what was my title on Sunday/October 12?

“Beijing calls for talks with Washington”

The following is the statement put out by MOFCOM on the morning of Tuesday, October 14, Beijing Time

商务部新闻发言人就近期美方宣布对华加征关税等限制措施答记者问

MOFCOM Spokesperson’s Response to a Media Question on the U.S. Announcing Tariffs and Other Restrictive Measures Against China

Question:

Recently, U.S. officials said that after learning China had imposed export controls on rare earths and other related items, they proposed to hold a phone call with the Chinese side, but China postponed this suggestion. The U.S. side also stated that both sides need to find a way to return to a stable situation. What is the Ministry of Commerce’s comment?

Answer:

China has taken note of the relevant situation. In recent days, China has already stated its position regarding the U.S. threat to impose an additional 100% tariff and other restrictive measures against China. I would like to reiterate that China’s export control measures on rare earths and related items are legitimate actions taken by the Chinese government in accordance with laws and regulations to improve its own export control system.

As a responsible major country, China is firmly committed to safeguarding its national security as well as international common security. China’s export control measures do not constitute a ban on exports; for applications that meet the relevant requirements, licenses will continue to be granted as usual, in order to jointly maintain the security and stability of global industrial and supply chains. Before the implementation of these measures, China had already notified the U.S. through the bilateral export control dialogue mechanism.

In contrast, the U.S. has long been overgeneralizing the concept of national security, abusing export control measures, and adopting discriminatory practices against China. In particular, since the China-U.S. Madrid trade talks, the U.S. has continued to introduce a series of new restrictive measures against China, seriously undermining China’s interests and gravely damaging the atmosphere of bilateral economic and trade talks. China firmly opposes this.

Regarding the tariff war and trade war, China’s position has been consistent: If the U.S. wants to fight, we will fight to the end; if it wants to talk, the door is always open.

China and the U.S. share extensive common interests and broad space for cooperation. Cooperation benefits both sides, while confrontation harms both. The four rounds of previous trade and economic consultations have fully demonstrated that China and the U.S. can find ways to resolve issues on the basis of mutual respect and equal consultation. The two sides have maintained communication within the framework of the China-U.S. economic and trade consultation mechanism — just yesterday, the working-level teams held a meeting.

I would like to point out that the U.S. cannot ask for talks on one hand while threatening to introduce new restrictive measures on the other. This is not the right way to engage with China. China urges the U.S. to correct its wrongful actions as soon as possible, demonstrate genuine sincerity for dialogue, and work together with China in the same direction.

Guided by the important consensus reached between the two heads of state, both sides should safeguard the hard-won results of past consultations, continue to leverage the role of the economic and trade consultation mechanism, resolve respective concerns through dialogue and negotiation, properly manage differences, and promote the sound, stable, and sustainable development of China-U.S. economic and trade relations.