witnessed by Chinese ambassadors, CBS reported. A spokesperson of China’s commerce department told reporters at a regular briefing on Thursday that China has maintained close communication with the U.S. counterpart, and is open to keep communicating with the incoming economic and trade officials under the Trump administration. While Chinese government tries to project a willingness to negotiate with the incoming Trump government, it does not “necessarily signal China is willing to make the kind of concessions” that Trump seeks, said Gabriel Wildau, managing director of Teneo. One example of such concessions that China can make would be promising stricter oversight on fentanyl trades, according to Scissors. “In a darker scenario where escalation does proceed, Beijing could point to these early statements to show the rest of the world that Washington is the side that rejected cooperation and compromise,” Wildau added.