China 'evaluating' US offer to engage in trade negotiations

Beijing is "evaluating" an offer from the US to engage in trade negotiations, the Chinese government has said, a week after Donald Trump claimed talks were already under way.

- Amy Hawkins

China's commerce ministry said yesterday: "The US has recently taken the initiative on many occasions to convey information to China through relevant parties, saying it hopes to talk with China."

On Thursday, influential commentators in China said the country was ready to engage in talks. The suggestion that Beijing was potentially willing to negotiate with Washington, along with a better than expected report on US jobs, sent markets higher on both sides of the Atlantic.

Ren Yi, a nationalist blogger who writes under the nickname Chairman Rabbit, wrote that he had learned from sources that the US had "frequently and proactively contacted the Chinese side through various channels, hoping to negotiate with the Chinese government on economic and trade issues".