China Says It’s Open to U.S. Talks, But Not With a Knife at Its Throat

China said it’s open to talking on the trade dispute, but it needs the U.S. to show sincerity and not put a knife at Beijing’s throat.

The U.S. trade restrictions are responsible for the stalled talks and any resumption is up to them, according to Wang Shouwen, China’s vice commerce minister. The two sides had previously reached some consensus in four rounds of talks, and Beijing has no idea why the U.S. went back on what they’d agreed, he told reporters on Tuesday.