India, May 2 -- In the first sign of a thaw since the US-China tariff war, Beijing is assessing the possibility of trade talks with Donald Trump's administration. China's Commerce Ministry said on Friday that it had noted US officials' repeated efforts to strike a negotiated trade deal after the US President hiked tariffs last month. This softened stance of the Chinese government hints at a possible relief from the ongoing tit-for-tat tariff war between the world's two largest economies.

"The US has recently sent messages to China through relevant parties, hoping to start talks with China," Bloomberg cited a spokesperson for China's ministry as saying. "China is currently evaluating this," the ministry added.

The US started tariff hike ...