China has said the US should completely cancel the “wrong practice” of “reciprocal tariffs,” Xinhua News reported.
On Sunday, China’s Commerce Ministry called on Washington to resume the proper course of resolving disagreements through mutual respect, as well as balanced and constructive dialogue.
The development came after the US issued a memorandum exempting specific products such as computers, smartphones, semiconductor manufacturing equipment, and integrated circuits from the “reciprocal tariffs.”
The ministry said China is assessing the related impact of this move, noting that this is a “small step” for the US to “correct its wrong practice” of issuing tariffs.
Beijing’s stance on China-US economic and trade relations remains consistent, the ministry noted, stressing that a trade war has no winners and that protectionism offers no viable solution.
“We urge the US to face up to the rational voices of the international community and domestic parties, take a big step in correcting its mistakes, completely cancel the wrong practice of ‘reciprocal tariffs,’ and return to the right path of mutual respect and resolving differences through equal dialogue,” the ministry said.
The China-US trade war escalated as Beijing’s 125% tariffs on imports from Washington officially took effect early Saturday.
China’s 125% tariffs on US imports took effect after the Trump administration raised tariffs to 145% on Chinese imports. However, Beijing has said it will no longer raise tariffs even if the US takes further steps.
The tariff war initiated by US President Donald Trump has rocked global markets. He has raised tariffs on Chinese goods to 145%, claiming Beijing was “abusing” trade practices with the US.
Tension further escalated between the two major powers following Trump’s decision to pause tariffs on all countries for 90 days, except China.