US wants big changes for trade talks; Beijing says 'take gun off our head'

Sparking fears of a ballooning trade war, Washington on Tuesday threatened to target an additional $200 billion in imports and China immediately vowed to retaliate

The United States and China could reopen talks on trade but only if Beijing is willing to make significant changes, US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Thursday. Meanwhile, Beijing's Deputy Commerce Minister Wang Shouwen said that the US should "take the gun off" China's head and start keeping its word in order to have useful talks on ending a trade war.     

"I would say to the extent that the Chinese want to make serious efforts to make structural changes, I and the administration are available any time to discuss those," Mnuchin said during a hearing before lawmakers in