Washington and Beijing slap 25 percent tariffs on each others’ imports

Tariffs

FILE PHOTO: A worker places U.S. and China flags near the Forbidden City ahead of a visit by U.S. President Donald Trump to Beijing, in Beijing, China November 8, 2017. (REUTERS/Damir Sagolj/File Photo)

Tariffs on $16 billion worth of imports are now in effect. Beijing immediately responded in kind and filed a complaint at the World Trade Organization.

CGTN’s Jiang Shaoyi reports.

China’s Commerce Ministry has said U.S. tariffs violate World Trade Organization rules. The Chinese Foreign Ministry also commented on Washington’s decision.

“In order to protect China’s own interests and defend multilateral trade mechanisms, we decided to take countermeasures against U.S. tariffs,” Lu Kang of the Chinese Foreign Ministry added. “For the ongoing trade negotiation, we hope the U.S. side can work with us and that good results can be achieved. The details of the talks cannot be revealed for now.”

The U.S. is targeting 279 imported product lines, down from 284 items initially proposed in June. China’s final list targets 333 products from fuel and steel, to autos and medical equipment, posing a grave threat to the auto industry.

Chinese Vice Commerce Minister Wang Shouwen is taking part in two days of talks with the U.S. side, looking to agree upon a solution. The Commerce Minister is expected to wrap up his trip on August 23, and is hoping to settle any disputes through dialogue.


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No resolution for trade tensions between US and China

Two-days of talks to resolve the trade war between the United States and China ended without a breakthrough. Each country ended up ramping up tariffs on each other. They took effect as business leaders from each side of the Pacific lobbied for and against even more duties threatened by U.S. President Donald Trump. CGTN’s Owen Fairclough filed this report from Washington, D.C.