Hardball and hammering out imply force. Force causes loss of face.
To succeed relations must be amicable on the surface even with deep divisions.
The goal afterall is to reduce the trade imbalance by increasing American sales. Tariffs are tit for tat when being removed.
Westerners shouldn't accommodate anyone's desire to "save face". Saving face is a euphemism for lying. Lies just buy time and are not acceptable from any culture, especially during serious contract negotiations.
A Chinese pharmacist working at Costco told me to not take this antibiotic with dairy. Having just picked up eggs under a big sign that read DAIRY I asked her if eggs are considered dairy. She replied confidently "Yes, eggs are dairy" saving face because she didn't know. I googled when I got home and found that was a face saving lie, not a good habit from a pharmacist. Medical people must say "I don't know" instead of saving face.