“China’s position is clear and consistent. The door to talks is open. The dialog must be conducted on an equal basis with mutual respect. China will stand by its position until the end,” He Yongqian, China’s Commerce Ministry spokesperson told a regular press briefing on Thursday when asked about whether Beijing and Washington have started tariff negotiations. She spoke the same day that increased levies on all U.S. goods entering China took effect. Beijing announced the 84% increase a day earlier after U.S. President Donald Trump hiked tariffs on Chinese goods to 104%. Later on Wednesday, Trump again raised those tariffs to 125% while he paused or lowered rates for at least 75 other countries. Trump cited a “lack of respect” on the Chinese side for the world’s markets as the reason behind the sharp increase in U.S. tariffs. “Pressuring, threatening and blackmailing are not the correct ways to deal with China. We hope that the U.S. will work with China based on the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation,” the Commerce Ministry spokesperson further said. China will “follow through to the end” if the U.S. insists on its own way, she added. On April 9, the European Union also joined China and Canada in imposing retaliatory tariffs on the United States. The E.U. announced 25% rates on U.S. goods, targeting farm produce and products from Republican states. Trump announced sweeping universal tariffs days after he began his second term in office on January 20. The measure raised global concerns, with politicians and experts warning of serious risk to economic growth across the world and the possibility of severe shocks to the financial system. Concerns were also raised about the U.S. economy entering recession after Trump’s tariffs rattled financial markets in recent days.