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China’s Foreign Affairs Spokesperson: US’ Fentanyl Tariff on China is an Act of Bullying

At the regular press conference of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the 25th, a reporter asked, “According to reports, U.S. government sources said that China and the U.S. are still negotiating on the fentanyl issue, but that China is ‘not sincere enough,’ and that the U.S. may impose more punitive measures to force China to take substantive action. What is China’s comment on this?”

Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Guo Jiakun responded, “Fentanyl is America’s problem, not China’s problem. The responsibility lies with the U.S. itself. The U.S. has disregarded China’s goodwill and unjustly imposed tariffs on fentanyl-related products from China. This is a typical act of bullying and has seriously undermined dialogue and cooperation between the two sides in the field of drug control. The U.S. should understand that smearing and attacking others cannot cover up its own failures, repaying kindness with resentment will not help solve the problem, and exerting pressure and threats is not the right way to deal with China.”

Source: Xinhua, April 25, 2025
http://www.news.cn/world/20250425/03e13f9564db473eb2380a358c87a93b/c.html

Briefings | | |   US-China Relations

Have China and the US Discussed Tariffs? Chinese, US, and Korean Sources Tell Different Stories

There is an ongoing dispute between China and the United States over whether they have engaged in negotiations regarding tariffs. China has repeatedly denied any such discussions, while the U.S. has consistently affirmed that they have taken place.

1. Statements by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)

On April 24, a reporter asked:
“Recently, there have been frequent reports from the U.S. claiming that China and the U.S. are negotiating and might even reach an agreement. Can you confirm whether negotiations have started?”

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun responded:
“These are all false reports. As far as I know, China and the U.S. have not engaged in consultations or negotiations on the tariff issue, let alone reached any agreement.”

On April 25, a Reuters reporter asked:
“The U.S. says trade talks are ongoing between the U.S. and China. A White House official stated that low-level officials held meetings and calls this week. Is the U.S. trying to engage with China? If so, is China willing to hold trade talks?”

Guo Jiakun responded:
“Yesterday, both I and my colleagues at the Ministry of Commerce clearly addressed this issue. There have been no consultations or negotiations between China and the U.S. on the tariff matter. The U.S. should not mislead the public.”

Also on April 24, Chinese Ministry of Commerce spokesperson He Yadong stated at a press conference:
“Currently, there are no ongoing economic and trade negotiations between China and the U.S. Any reports about progress in such negotiations are pure speculation without factual basis.”

On April 25, the Chinese Embassy in the U.S. posted a Question and Answer (Q&A):
Question: “Recently, the U.S. has repeatedly expressed its willingness to reach a tariff agreement with China and claimed that dialogue has taken place. What is China’s response?”
Answer: “Such statements are purely misleading. As far as I know, China and the U.S. have not engaged in consultations or negotiations on the tariff issue, let alone reached an agreement.”

In short, thus far, the Chinese Foreign Ministry, the Ministry of Commerce, and the Chinese Embassy in the U.S. have all consistently stated: China has not held any negotiations with the U.S. on tariffs.

2. Statements from the U.S. Government

On April 22, 23, and 24, President Donald Trump repeatedly told reporters that the U.S. is actively negotiating with China to reach a “fair agreement.”

On April 25, in an interview with Time magazine, Trump revealed that he had received a direct call from Chinese President Xi Jinping. Trump said:

“He’s called. And I don’t think that’s a sign of weakness on his behalf.”

Trump emphasized that had Xi not made the first move, he himself would not have initiated contact.

3. Supporting Evidence from South Korea

On April 25, South Korea’s JoongAng Ilbo reported that around 7 a.m. Eastern Time on April 24, a senior official from China’s Ministry of Finance, accompanied by about 10 staff members, entered the U.S. Treasury headquarters near the White House.

Although the official’s identity was not disclosed, the report included a photo of the Chinese official with the face blurred for anonymity.

Source: Epoch Times, April 26, 2025
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/25/4/26/n14492622.htm

Briefings | | |   US-China Relations

China Held TikTok Campaign to Promote Chinese-Made Counterfeit Luxury Goods

A large number of videos from Chinese merchants have emerged on TikTok almost simultaneously. The content is largely similar, often presented in the name of factory personnel, primarily targeting luxury brands such as Hermès, Louis Vuitton, and Chanel. These short videos either feature English narration or are accompanied by English subtitles, promoting the idea that the factory prices of these high-end luxury goods in China are very low, and that the prices soar only after being labeled in Europe and the U.S.. The videos encourage consumers to purchase directly from Chinese factories.

These videos have driven the rapid rise in app store downloads in the U.S. for Chinese e-commerce platforms like DHgate and Taobao. However, DHgate, Taobao, and Pinduoduo have repeatedly been listed in the U.S. Trade Representative’s (USTR) annual Notorious Markets list for allegedly participating in or facilitating large-scale trademark counterfeiting or copyright infringement.

These promoted Chinese products are highly likely to be counterfeit. Lululemon clarified that the company does not collaborate with the manufacturer mentioned in the online videos. Hermès stated that 100 percent of its leather goods are made in France. Louis Vuitton also noted that its leather goods are all produced in Europe and the U.S.

French media outlets, after conducting fact-checks, indicated that this appears to be a coordinated propaganda effort, as the videos are highly similar in terms of upload dates, content, and format.

Hong Kong’s new media Economic Daily reported on April 18 that these TikTok efforts aim to bypass tariff barriers, revealing the survival crisis facing Chinese factories amid the sudden escalation of the U.S.-China trade war. There are also reports that many manufacturers of furniture, appliances, and clothing in China’s eastern coastal provinces exist primarily to serve U.S. consumers. With tariffs taking effect, these products may face the dilemma of having no market.

Source: Epoch Times, April 19, 2025
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/25/4/19/n14486453.htm

Briefings | | |   @CS Economy/Resources Geo-Strategic Trend US-China Relations

LTN: Major Chinese Apple Supplier Luxshare Plans to Build Production Lines in U.S.

Major Taiwanese news network Liberty Times Network (LTN) recently reported that Luxshare, a Chinese electronic components manufacturer and a major Apple supplier, held an online press conference not long ago saying that the new U.S. tariffs will not have a major impact on the company. However, Laichun Wang, Luxshare’s chairman of the board, said in an internal teleconference that the company is moving more production lines outside China and has plans to do some manufacturing inside the United States.

In a hour-long internal discussion, Wang said the company only has a small number of finished products directly shipped to the United States, yet the company still needs to increase its overseas investment. More importantly, some domestic investment plans have to be paused for the time being. The company is in the middle of discussions with its U.S. customers about moving more production lines to the United States. Regarding whether the tariffs will be absorbed jointly by the suppliers, the product companies and the final consumers or not, Wang said, “So far, no hardware suppliers have assumed the charges for tariffs or logistics. This has never happened before.”

Luxshare is one of the primary Apple suppliers, headquartered in Baoan District, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province. It’s Foxconn’s largest iPhone OEM rival. The company also designs and manufactures electronic equipment such as routers, wireless charging modules and video conference equipment. Luxshare currently has production bases and research centers in Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Mexico and the United States.

Neither Luxshare nor Apple responded to requests for comment from LTN.

Source: LTN, April 9, 2025
https://ec.ltn.com.tw/article/breakingnews/5007082

Briefings | | |   Information/Technology US-China Relations

Chinese Economists: Export Decline and Catastrophic Impact of U.S.-China Trade War

Following the start of the current U.S.-China tariff war, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has been silencing negative comments. Radio Free Asia (RFA) recently ran an article featuring two Chinese economists voicing their concerns about the impact of the tariff war on the Chinese economy.

The first economist is Xiang Songzuo, former professor at Renmin University of China, who was blacklisted in 2019 for questioning the accuracy of China’s GDP growth figures. In his speech, Xiang stated that China’s export-oriented economic activity is primarily concentrated in four Chinese provinces: Guangdong, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, and Shandong.

“How long will this pain last – six months, a year, or even longer?” he asked, noting that China’s rapid economic development has long relied heavily on exports, which in turn reflects a lack of domestic demand.

“Some overcapacity traditional manufacturing industries are facing extremely serious challenges, particularly the automobile-related sector. Even the most optimistic estimates expect China’s exports to decline by 10 percent to 15 percent this year.”

In addition to the auto industry, Xiang listed electromechanical products, clothing and footwear, and small home appliances – all major export categories to the U.S. – as industries that will be severely impacted and may face historic transformations. “The severity of the problem is beyond imagination. These industries were already overproducing. If exports decline further and turn to the domestic market, it will trigger a price war. This is a life-or-death challenge.”

“This is truly a disruptive global change,” Xiang warned. “Very soon, I believe a large number of export enterprises will face catastrophic challenges – and I use the word catastrophic deliberately.”

Another Chinese economist, Zhou Qiren, a professor at Peking University’s National School of Development, said that China is now like a “sandwich” being squeezed: advanced countries are exerting pressure from the top with technological and capital advantages, and emerging markets, such as India, Vietnam, and Eastern European nations, are exerting pressure from the bottom with low-cost competition.

Source: Radio Free Asia, April 18, 2025
https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/shangye/jingji/2025/04/18/china-us-xiangsongzuo-zhouqiren/

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources US-China Relations

Beijing Accuses US National Security Agency of Cyber Attack on 2025 Harbin Asian Winter Games

Chinese authorities have reported that the 2025 Harbin Asian Winter Games suffered significant foreign cyber attacks, triggering an investigation by Harbin’s Public Security Bureau. With support from international partners, investigators claim to have traced these attacks to three NSA agents and two American universities.

According to Chinese technical experts, the cyber attacks specifically targeted crucial information systems including registration, arrival/departure management, and competition registration systems. These systems contained sensitive personal information of athletes and event personnel. The attacks allegedly intensified on February 3rd during the first ice hockey match, with attempts to disrupt event information publishing systems.

Chinese authorities have named three NSA operatives allegedly involved in the attacks: Katheryn A. Wilson, Robert J. Snelling, Stephen W. Johnson.

Investigators claim these individuals have previously carried out cyber attacks against Chinese critical infrastructure and companies like Huawei.

The report also implicates the University of California and Virginia Tech University in the cyber operations. It notes that both institutions have established connections to the NSA, with Virginia Tech being one of six advanced military academies in the US and a certified “Cyber Defense Research Center” and “Cyber Operations Research Center.”

Harbin police have announced a reward for information leading to the three named suspects, as part of efforts to combat foreign cyber attacks against Chinese networks and protect national cybersecurity interests.

The attacks reportedly targeted specific systems and infrastructure using hundreds of known and unknown attack methods, including zero-day vulnerabilities, file-reading exploits, and high-frequency targeted detection attacks.

Source: People’s Daily, April 16, 2025
http://paper.people.com.cn/rmrb/pc/content/202504/16/content_30068084.html

Briefings | | |   US-China Relations

NIH Bans China from Accessing Gene and Disease Databases

Hong Kong financial news site AAStocks recently reported that the official website of the Director of the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) has “adopted measures to enhance the security of NIH controlled-access data,” and has prohibited institutions in China (including Hong Kong and Macau), Russia, Iran, North Korea, Cuba and Venezuela from accessing NIH controlled data storage starting April 4th. This news resulted in a significant decline in stocks prices for Chinese pharmaceutical companies listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

The newly-restricted data include the human genotype-phenotype database platform dbGaP as well as the cloud research platform AnVIL, which is used for large-scale gene data analysis. These platforms host the world’s richest human genome and phenotypic information and disease research data, AAStocks reported. “Global researchers have been highly dependent on these databases for a long time.” These measures are in line with the provisions of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Executive Order No. 14117 and 28 CFR Part 202 “Preventing access to sensitive personal data and government-related data from the U.S.”


Source: AAStocks, April 6, 2025
https://www.aastocks.com/sc/stocks/analysis/stock-aafn-con/02269/AAFN/NOW.1431900/hk-stock-news

Briefings | | |   US-China Relations

Hong Kong Officials Criticize US Over Tariffs

Chinese officials responsible for Hong Kong affairs delivered strong statements against the United States during an event commemorating China’s annual “National Security Education Day.” The remarks focused on national security issues and US tariffs on Hong Kong.

Xia Baolong, Director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, speaking via video, claimed the US is “targeting China’s survival rather than merely imposing taxes.” “The US doesn’t want our ‘taxes,’ it wants our ‘lives,'” Xia stated. He added that “whoever attempts to return us to poverty and weakness is our enemy.”

Xia accused the US of using extreme measures against Hong Kong, citing the “2025 Hong Kong Policy Act Report” and recent sanctions against six Beijing and Hong Kong government officials. He particularly criticized the 145% cumulative tariffs imposed on Hong Kong, which traditionally has been a free port.

“Let those American ‘country bumpkins’ wail before China’s 5,000-year civilization!” Xia declared, warning that US suppression of Hong Kong would only accelerate the demise of its “proxies” in the city.

The Beijing official claimed that while Hong Kong appears calm on the surface, undercurrents remain turbulent with “anti-China forces” either hiding within society or operating from overseas.

Dong Jingwei, Director of the Office for Safeguarding National Security in Hong Kong, who was recently sanctioned by the US, also spoke at the event. He criticized American politicians as “arrogant” and “self-righteous” for politicizing economic issues and imposing sanctions.

“China is not the China of the past, and Hong Kong is not the Hong Kong of the past,” Dong warned. “Those who threaten our security will face retaliation.”

Unlike last year’s speech, which focused solely on Hong Kong’s security matters, this year’s remarks included direct and forceful criticism of the United States.

Source: Central News Agency (Taiwan), April 15, 2025
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/202504150142.aspx

Briefings | | |   US-China Relations