China on Wednesday called on the United States to stop its "maximum pressure" tactics and "blackmail" in trade negotiations, pushing back on US President Donald Trump's recent comments that "the ball is in China’s court."
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian told a press conference Wednesday that the tariff war was started by the US, not China, urging Washington to abandon its strategy of "maximum pressure."
He added that Beijing does not want to fight a trade war because there will be no winner.
Donald Trump has upset the world order by slapping whopping taxes on imports. But his primary target is the Asian giant.
His remarks came after Trump claimed Tuesday that it was now up to Beijing to make a deal.
"The ball is in China's court. China needs to make a deal with us. We don't have to make a deal with them," Trump said in a statement read by spokesperson Karoline Leavitt.
"There's no difference between China and any other country, except they are much larger, and China wants what we have.”
Trump sharply increased tariffs on Chinese goods, up to 245 percent, prompting Beijing to respond with its countermeasures.
Beijing has imposed 125 percent tariffs on all US imports.
When asked about the Trump administration's latest tariff increases, Lin responded: "Ask the US side for specific tax rate figures."
China's GDP increased by 5.4 percent year on year in the first quarter of 2025, according to the latest data from the National Bureau of Statistics, reaching $4.42 trillion.
