Spanish
Geneva.- The delegations of the United States and China concluded this Saturday the first of two days of direct negotiations on the exorbitant tariffs that they have imposed on each other and that have destabilized supply chains and threaten the global economy with a recession.
The delegations, headed on the American side by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, and by Vice Premier He Linfeng, on the Chinese side; met for nearly three hours in the morning and after a break they took for lunch, separately, met again in the afternoon.
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The international press, including several correspondents who traveled to Switzerland from Beijing and Washington to try to follow this meeting, saw the comings and goings of the delegations, but did not have access to the negotiators.
The meeting took place at the residence of the Swiss ambassador to the UN in Geneva, a sumptuous building surrounded by green areas and with a direct view of Lake Geneva, as part of the good offices that the Swiss Government had offered to both parties to facilitate their talks.
The parties tried to keep the location of their meeting secret, but a leak that spread rapidly allowed the press to go to the place to try to get a statement, an impossible mission on this first day due to the restrictions on access and movement applied by the local police, by instructions of the intelligence services of both countries, as a security officer acknowledged to EFE.
China has arrived at this meeting with data in its favor, particularly after it was revealed this Friday that its exports increased by 8% in April, compared to a 21% decrease experienced by the United States that same month.
Through its official channels, the Chinese Government has indicated today that by agreeing to enter these negotiations it demonstrates its sense of responsibility.
He has also acknowledged that strengthening communication between the world's two most powerful economies will be beneficial for each to understand the other's concerns and "avoid misinterpretations".
However, after these comments showing a willingness to open up, China has emphasized that it maintains its opposition to the tariff escalation by the United States and that "any form of attempting to pressure or coerce China simply will not work".
For its part, the basis of the negotiations of the American side was dictated the day before by President Donald Trump himself, stating that he thinks that lowering tariffs on China to 80% would be "appropriate", although government sources in Washington dropped the percentage to 60% before the trip of its delegation to Geneva.
