（Source：Global Times，2025-07-04）
The Ministry of Commerce of China File photo: VCG
The Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) said on Friday that China and the US are stepping up efforts to implement the outcomes of London framework they had agreed during recent trade talks, noting that the London framework was hard-won and that dialogue and cooperation are the right path forward.
A spokesperson of the MOFCOM made the remarks in response to inquiries about recent reports that certain companies have received notices from the US Department of Commerce allowing the resumption of exports to China of products including EDA software, ethane, and aircraft engines.
Following the recent China-US economic and trade talks in London, both sides had finalized implementation details to carry out the important consensus reached by the two heads of state during their phone talks on June 5, and to consolidate the outcomes of the economic and trade talks in Geneva, the spokesperson said in a statement.
As part of the process, Chinese authorities are processing export license applications for eligible controlled items in accordance with relevant laws and regulations, while the US has taken corresponding actions by lifting a series of restrictive measures against China and has informed Beijing of the developments, per the statement.
"The London framework was hard-won. Dialogue and cooperation are the right path forward; coercion and intimidation lead nowhere," the spokesperson noted.
The ministry urged the US to continue moving in the same direction as China, further correct its misguided practices, and take concrete actions to uphold and implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, so as to jointly ensure the steady and long-term growth of bilateral economic and trade ties, according to the statement.
Last month, both sides agreed in principle on the framework for implementing consensus between the two heads of state during their phone talks on June 5, as well as the framework of measures to consolidate the outcomes of the economic and trade talks in Geneva, at the first meeting of the China-US economic and trade consultation mechanism held in London, the Xinhua News Agency reported on June 11.
MOFCOM said a week ago that China and the US have confirmed a framework under which China will review export applications for eligible controlled items, while the US will cancel corresponding restrictive measures.
'Thawing' signs
The latest developments signal a "thawing" trend in bilateral trade ties, potentially paving the way for a new round of negotiations. However, experts remain cautious, noting that the existing US tariffs on Chinese goods still remain high, and preparations should be made for Washington's unpredictable policy shifts.
The US told GE Aerospace on Thursday that it can restart jet engine shipments to China's COMAC, Reuters reported, citing a person familiar with the matter on Friday, noting the move is "a further sign of de-escalating US-China trade tensions."
At least one other aerospace company also had its license suspensions for China lifted on Thursday, the report said, citing another source.
The latest easing measures came just a day after media reports said the US had lifted export restrictions on chip design software developers and ethane producers in China.
On Thursday, US-based Synopsys and Germany's Siemens, the world's leading electronic design automation (EDA) software providers, confirmed that export control restrictions on EDA software and technology to customers in China were no longer in place, according to statements the two companies sent to the Global Times.
Another world-leading chip design software provider - Cadence Design Systems Inc -also said that the US had lifted export restrictions on chip design software for China and that it was in the process of restoring access to software and technology to affected customers, Reuters reported.
Earlier on Thursday, the US also sent letters to ethane producers to rescind a restrictive licensing requirement on exports to China imposed in late May and June, Reuters reported.
The restrictions on EDA developers and ethane exporters were part of a broader set of non-tariff measures Washington rolled out against China following the Geneva talks, actions that MOFCOM had condemned as violations of international law and fundamental norms of international relations, as well as constituting a serious breach of the existing [Geneva] consensus.
The recent developments suggest both countries are moving toward implementing the Geneva consensus and the London framework, helping to build a degree of mutual trust, Song Guoyou, a deputy director of the Center for American Studies at Fudan University, told the Global Times on Friday.
"This is conducive to further easing China-US economic and trade relations and helps create a more favorable climate for the next round of talks," Song noted.
However, Gao Lingyun, a research fellow at the Institute of World Economics and Politics of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, cautioned that the outlook remains "highly uncertain" due to the volatile nature of US trade policy.
Both Gao and Song noted that even with the previously announced suspension of additional tariffs, average US tariffs on Chinese goods remain prohibitively high, with China's exports to the US still facing hefty tariffs.
"This structural barrier highlights the considerable work still needed to gradually roll back duties," Gao told the Global Times on Friday, while Song pointed to the inherently protectionist nature of the current tariffs and underscored the importance of future negotiations based on equal footing and dialogue.
Uncertain outlook
As China-US trade tensions show signs of easing, Washington is facing complexity in talks with other countries as the self-imposed deadline for tariff talks approaches in less than a week, while key allies like the EU and India have all reinforced their firm positions on protecting national interests during this critical period.
US President Donald Trump said that his administration will start sending out letters to trading partners on Friday setting unilateral tariff rates, which he said countries would have to begin paying on August 1, Bloomberg reported on Friday.
Trump told reporters that about "10 or 12" letters would go out Friday, with additional letters coming "over the next few days," the report said. "I think by the ninth they'll be fully covered," Trump added, "They'll range in value from maybe 60 or 70 percent tariffs to 10 and 20 percent tariffs," per the report.
The Bloomberg report said the top tier of that range, if formalized, would be higher than any tariffs the president initially outlined during his "Liberation Day" rollout in early April.
The development reflects the limited progress the US has made in its negotiations with trade partners, as the tariff talks it leads lack fairness and are driven solely by its own interests, according to Song.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Thursday that the EU is "ready for a deal" with the US to resolve ongoing tariff disputes. However, she emphasized that the bloc is also preparing for the possibility of no satisfactory agreement being reached to defend Europe's interests, Xinhua reported on Friday.
South Korean President Lee Jae-myung said the same day that he was not sure whether it was possible to reach a trade deal with the US by July 8, per Xinhua. Seoul and Washington should produce mutually beneficial outcomes, but what each side demanded had yet to be clearly decided, the president noted.
Additionally, hopes of an India-US bilateral trade deal before the July 9 deadline dimmed as talks ended in a deadlock over key agricultural demands, India Today TV citing sources reported on Wednesday. India has taken a firm position, emphasizing no compromise on agriculture, especially not at the cost of its rural economy, per the report.
If the US chooses to continue imposing or even escalating tariffs, it would inflict serious harm not only on its own economy, but also on its allies and the stability of the global economy, Gao warned.
The adverse impact of US tariffs is increasingly backfiring on its own economy. In May, both US imports and exports contracted, with the trade deficit widening further, according to data released by the US Commerce Department's Bureau of Economic Analysis on Thursday.
In total, the imposed US tariffs would reduce market income by 1.1 percent in 2026, and would reduce US GDP by 0.8 percent over the next decade, before foreign retaliation, according to an analysis published by the Tax Foundation, a Washington-based think-tank, in June.
