After three months of bluster and huge tariffs on both sides, Beijing and the Trump administration are softening their language on holding negotiations.

The view that the Chinese leadership was desperate to negotiate a trade deal, to avoid economic pain that could destabilize Chinese society and threaten the Chinese Communist Party’s monopoly on power, is common among China hawks in the United States. This analysis is partly accurate, but it has led many to draw false conclusions.

China has said it has received overtures from the United States for talks on tariffs -- but warned it will need concessions as proof of "sincerity" before any negotiations can take place.