China is assessing messages conveyed by the United States that express its hope to engage in talks with China over tariff issues, the Ministry of Commerce said on Friday.
Senior U.S. officials have repeated their willingness to hold tariff talks with China, the ministry said in a statement. And the U.S. side has recently reached out to convey messages to China through relevant parties many times, expressing its hope to hold talks with China, the ministry said.
China's position has always been consistent, the ministry said, stressing that if the U.S. wants to fight, we will fight to the end; if the U.S. wants to talk, our door is wide open.
Noting that the tariff and trade wars were unilaterally initiated by the United States, the ministry said that if the U.S. wants to negotiate, it must demonstrate sincerity, and make preparations and take concrete actions on issues such as correcting its erroneous practices and lifting the unilateral tariffs.
"We have noticed that the U.S. side has constantly released signals on adjusting tariff measures recently. What we'd stress is that in any possible dialogs and talks, should the U.S. side fail to correct its erroneous unilateral tariff measures, it would indicate it has no sincerity at all, which will further damage the mutual trust. Talking the talk but not walking the walk, or attempting to coerce and blackmail under the pretext of talks will not work with China," the ministry said.
China assessing US messages on tariff talks: Commerce Ministry
The Iranian government is focusing on public concerns and maintaining stable supplies of essential goods amid recent protests, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said in a televised interview on Sunday.
In the city of Karaj, northwest of the capital Tehran, daily life has largely continued as normal. A video filmed by a local resident on Sunday shows food stores open and grocery shelves fully stocked.
"This is the block near my home, and there are some food stores here. Daily life continues here. Last night we did not see many protests in Karaj. Right now the city is very safe. This is a grocery store close to my home. All the food is available; nothing is in shortage. Here are noodles and different types of beans. Here are dairy products, cheese, and yogurt. I also checked other grocery stores and didn't see any shortages. Everything is available," said local resident Ali Reza.
Iranian officials have described recent disturbances as acts orchestrated by the "enemy," including some carried out by well-trained and armed "terrorists." The incidents have caused casualties among security personnel and civilians, as well as property damage.
The Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Ali Larijani has directed authorities to severely punish the "terrorists."
Meanwhile, Iran's police chief Ahmad-Reza Radan said on Sunday that the police had raised alert levels and arrested several leaders of the troublemakers during the operations on Saturday.
President Pezeshkian noted in the interview that the normal demands of the Iranian people are reasonable and justified, but they must realize that triggering riots and carrying out terrorist acts are the enemy's attempts to undermine the country. He urged the public to remain vigilant.
Also on Sunday, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf warned that Tehran would regard U.S. and Israeli bases and facilities in the Middle East as "legitimate targets" if Washington takes military action against Iran. His remarks followed media reports saying U.S. President Donald Trump is "seriously considering authorizing a strike" against Iran.
Iranian state media reported that at least 109 members of Iran's security forces have been killed in clashes since the protests began 14 days ago. Meanwhile, human rights groups based outside the country said the number of protesters killed has exceeded 200, though the figure could not be independently verified.
The protests initially erupted over a sharp depreciation of the rial and sweeping subsidy reforms. Iranian authorities have blamed the unrest on foreign-linked agents and sanctions imposed by the United States.
Iranian president says government focusing on ensuring supplies amid protests
