China is «evaluating» an offer from the U.S. to hold talks on tariffs, according to a Friday statement from the Chinese Commerce Ministry. This shift in tone could leave the door open for the world’s two largest economies to deescalate the trade war that has left global markets in turmoil.

«The U.S. has recently taken the initiative on many occasions to convey information to China through relevant parties, saying it hopes to talk with China,» the ministry said in a statement, according to a Reuters translation. The ministry also said that Beijing was «evaluating this.»

However, while Beijing appears to be open to negotiations, the Chinese Commerce Ministry warned that it would not be forced into making a bad deal. According to the Reuters translation, the ministry said that «attempting to use talks as a pretext to engage in coercion and extortion would not work.»

TRUMP SAYS CHINA’S XI CALLED HIM AMID ONGOING CONFUSION OVER TRADE TALKS

On Thursday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told FOX Business’ Maria Bartiromo on «Mornings with Maria» that he believed Beijing was looking to reach an agreement with the U.S.

«I am confident that the Chinese will want to reach a deal. And as I said, this is going to be a multi-step process. First, we need to de-escalate. And then the over time we will start focusing on a larger trade deal,» Bessent said.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent speaks during a briefing with White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt at the White House in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday.

TRUMP WAGERS US ECONOMY IN HIGH-STAKES TARIFF GAMBLE AT 100-DAY MARK

President Donald Trump announced sweeping global tariffs last month. He slapped a 145% tariff on Chinese imports. Meanwhile, Beijing put a 125% tariff on U.S. imports. However, the country recently waived the tariff on a host of American-made products. 

There were already exemptions for some pharmaceuticals, microchips and aircraft engines, but China added an exemption for ethane imports, according to Reuters.

Beijing’s change in messaging regarding the tariffs comes in stark contrast to its April 23 comments during a U.N. Security Council Arria-formula meeting on «The Impact of Unilateralism and Bullying Practices on International Relations.» At that meeting, China accused the U.S. of using tariffs to bully the rest of the world.

China’s President Xi Jinping and President Donald Trump. (Getty Images)

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«Under the guise of reciprocity and fairness, the U.S. is playing a zero-sum game, which is essentially about subverting the existing international economic and trade order by means of tariffs, putting U.S. interests above the common good of the international community and advancing hegemonic ambitions of the U.S. at the cost of the legitimate interest of all countries,» Chinese U.N. Ambassador Fu Cong said in his opening remarks.

A State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital that the meeting was «a waste of U.N. Security Council members’ time.» The spokesperson also slammed the meeting as an example of China’s manipulation of «the multilateral system to support its economic, political, and security interests.»

Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Virginia State Police arrested an illegal immigrant after he was released as a result of a plea deal made by the Fairfax County Commonwealth Attorney’s Office.

Guatemalan national Wilmer Osmany Ramos-Giron, 34, faced numerous felony charges in January, including abduction by force, assault on a family member and felony strangulation causing injury to a Virginia woman, according to ICE, which has Ramos-Giron in custody.

Ramos-Giron spent only two months in an adult detention center in Fairfax County. 

The county attorney’s office, led by Democrat Steve Descano, arranged a plea deal dropping Ramos-Giron’s charges to misdemeanors. Ramos-Giron would have faced up to 16 years behind bars on the felony charges if convicted, according to ABC 7. 

DEM PROSECUTOR LETS OFF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT CHARGED WITH STRANGULATION, KIDNAPPING

The outlet reported that even though the county attorney’s office said the plea deal was what the victim wanted, the victim said that’s not true. Ramos-Giron was deported two other times but found his way back into the U.S. despite being convicted in a federal gun case. But it’s not clear when he returned to the country, according to ICE.

Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s office praised the April 24 arrest.

«It’s disappointing that the Fairfax Commonwealth Attorney’s Office has been more concerned about shielding dangerous illegal immigrants than ensuring the safety of Virginians,» Peter Finocchio, Youngkin’s press secretary, told Fox News Digital in a statement.

«Fortunately, Wilmer Osmany Ramos-Giron will no longer pose a threat to Virginia families, thanks to brave federal and state law enforcement heroes.»

Descano’s campaign received over $627,000 between 2019 and 2023 from the Justice and Public Safety PAC, according to the Virginia Public Access Project. Fox News Digital previously reported that a large majority of the super PAC’s funding came from liberal billionaire George Soros.

ICE NABS MORE THAN 425 MIGRANT CRIMINALS IN VIRGINIA, GOV. YOUNGKIN SAYS

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin addresses a crowd during an early voting rally Sept. 21, 2023, in Petersburg, Va.  (AP Photo/Steve Helber, File)

Fairfax County District Attorney Steve Descano, a Democrat, has had a clear policy against wanting to enforce federal immigration laws and has a history of not complying with many ICE detainers, ABC 7 reported.

«Wilmer Ramos-Giron represents a significant threat to our Virginia residents,» said Russell Hott, who directs the ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Washington, D.C., field office.

«He has displayed a blatant disregard for our immigration laws and, more importantly, for the safety and well-being of our community. He is a violent and recidivist threat to public safety that ICE Washington, D.C., cannot tolerate. Regardless of the obstacles placed in our way, we remain committed to prioritizing public safety. The men and women of ICE Washington, D.C., will continue to arrest and remove criminal alien threats from our Washington, D.C., and Virginia neighborhoods and ensure their victims receive the justice they so rightly deserve.»

ICE TOUTS RECORD-BREAKING IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT DURING TRUMP’S FIRST 100 DAYS

White House border czar Tom Homan speaks with reporters outside the White House in Washington, D.C., March 7, 2025. (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)

Descano’s office did not respond to a request for comment.

As ICE continues its crackdown on illegal immigrants it considers public safety risks, state and local laws nationwide continue to face scrutiny. Last month, the state of California said it would transfer an illegal immigrant into ICE custody after the state prison system was preparing to release a man convicted of killing two teenagers in a DUI manslaughter who was 3½ years into a 10-year sentence in July.

Altos funcionarios de Estados Unidos y Japón acordaron iniciar de inmediato consultas técnicas para profundizar los avances obtenidos durante una nueva ronda de negociaciones comerciales celebrada el jueves en Washington, según informó el Departamento del Tesoro en un comunicado emitido el viernes.

En el encuentro participaron el secretario del Tesoro, Scott Bessent; el secretario de Comercio, Howard Lutnick; el representante comercial, Jamieson Greer; y el ministro japonés de Revitalización Económica y Nuevo Capitalismo, Ryosei Akazawa. El Departamento del Tesoro destacó que las partes mantuvieron “conversaciones francas y constructivas sobre comercio justo y recíproco”.

Durante el diálogo, Bessent subrayó ante Akazawa la relevancia de abordar tanto medidas arancelarias como no arancelarias, y remarcó la relación entre seguridad económica y seguridad nacional, uno de los ejes del enfoque estadounidense en materia comercial.

Al término de la reunión, Akazawa calificó positivamente la segunda ronda de negociaciones con la administración de Donald Trump. “Logramos avances gracias a una conversación franca y constructiva para alcanzar un acuerdo que beneficie tanto a Japón como a Estados Unidos lo antes posible”, declaró a medios nipones.

No obstante, advirtió que cada negociación es única y que no habrá acuerdo final hasta que se cierre completamente el conjunto de temas tratados. En cuanto a los sectores automotriz y agrícola, considerados estratégicos, Akazawa afirmó: “No tenemos intención de negociar de forma que perjudique nuestros intereses nacionales. Protegeremos lo que sea necesario y diremos lo que sea necesario”.

El primer ministro japonés, Shigeru Ishiba, reconoció el viernes que no hay certeza sobre cuándo concluirán las negociaciones. “Tienen sus argumentos y nosotros también tenemos los nuestros”, dijo a la prensa. La próxima ronda está programada para las próximas semanas de mayo.

Tokio ha reclamado insistentemente a la Casa Blanca la exención de nuevos aranceles sobre la industria automotriz, una de las más afectadas por las recientes medidas de la administración Trump.

Japón considera estas tasas particularmente perjudiciales, dado que Estados Unidos representa su principal mercado de exportación en ese sector.

El Banco de Japón (BoJ) redujo el jueves su previsión de crecimiento del producto interior bruto (PIB) nacional para el ejercicio 2025 hasta el 0,5%, frente al 1,1% estimado previamente en enero, según su informe trimestral de perspectivas económicas, citado por la agencia EFE.

El recorte obedece al impacto de la guerra comercial global, que continúa afectando las exportaciones y la inversión de las empresas japonesas, sectores clave en la estructura económica del país. El BoJ advirtió que la incertidumbre en torno a los flujos comerciales y las cadenas de suministro sigue siendo alta.

La decisión fue tomada durante la reunión de política monetaria del banco central, en la que los gobernadores analizaron las condiciones externas adversas que presionan el desempeño económico. Aunque el consumo interno se mantiene estable, las tensiones arancelarias están debilitando la demanda externa, especialmente en los mercados de Estados Unidos y China.

El BoJ mantuvo sin cambios su política de tipos de interés, aunque señaló que seguirá observando de cerca la evolución de los precios y los indicadores de actividad, sin descartar futuras intervenciones en caso de un mayor deterioro del entorno internacional.

(Con información de EFE y REUTERS)